Denys A. Bilyi

The soul and body — for freedom… The tragic news of the death of our fellow villagers, who went to fight for peace for their loved ones, has shaken Hornostayivshchyna three times. The last, like thunder from a clear sky, was the sad news about the young soldier Denys Anatoliyovych Bilyi. Not wise and confident for his years, he, like all of us, wanted to live an ordinary peaceful life in a successful peaceful country. So he decided to contribute his own efforts, defending Ukraine's interests in the ATO zone. Denys was born on May 25, 1992. At the age of 22, he was brave and determined. After his service, he dreamed of entering a higher educational institution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, earning a decent living, and living. Before participating in the ATO, the young man served under contract in Crimea, in the 36th Coast Guard Brigade in Perevalne, where he first encountered the Russian occupiers. He liked the service, so immediately after the annexation of Crimea, when he returned home to Kherson region, he decided without hesitation to return to the army as a volunteer at the first wave of mobilization. Initially, he served in Mykolaiv, in the famous 79th Air Assault Brigade. The service there was quite active; the soldiers were constantly on the move — they frequently went to checkpoints and later expressed a desire to serve in the ATO zone. At first, the brigade was sent to Sloviansk, where they liberated the city. Then the guys fought for Donetsk and other cities until they saw relative progress. In Luhansk, their brigade held the defense for some time while surrounded, bravely repelling enemy incursions. In the breaks between battles, they evacuated our soldiers who needed medical assistance and helped local residents who were in a difficult situation. Denys never complained about the service. It seemed he was satisfied with everything and enthusiastically spoke about his difficult mission as a defender of the Motherland. He was proud of his comrades-in-arms and the commander — he said that in their battalion everyone was equal and friendly. Although Denys was called up as a crew member, he was not afraid of other work — he was also an assistant grenade launcher, an assistant machine gunner, an assistant shooter with KPVT, and an assistant operator's gunner, and eventually an operator's gunner — in short, he served Ukraine devotedly. But cruel fate took him during a battle, just as they were taking combat positions to guard the Donetsk airport. On that ominous September day, in the armored personnel carrier where Denys was with six of his comrades, all were killed by a direct hit, giving the most valuable thing they had — their lives. The parents of the fallen Denys could not bury their son for a long time, almost three months — they were waiting for the results of the body identification, hoping for a miracle. But the miracle that all of Hornostayivka was breathlessly waiting for, unfortunately, did not happen. And on December 27, the residents of the village, relatives, comrades-in-arms, and former teachers bid farewell to the hero-soldier, who defended the country until his last breath, did not hide behind others, and did not flee, on his final journey. Later, by the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 282/2015 dated May 25, 2015, Denys was posthumously awarded the Order of "For Courage" III degree "for personal courage and high professionalism demonstrated in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to military oath." The memory of Denys will forever remain in the hearts of his relatives, friends, fellow villagers, and military comrades. After all, heroes do not die! Anna Muzychenko