Denys M. Khilchenko (Den)

Khilchenko Denys Mykolaiovych was born on April 11, 1974. He was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity. After the Russian invasion in 2014, he volunteered to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He went through the combat path from soldier to deputy battalion commander. He started his service as a driver, then became a gunner of an armored vehicle, a scout, and a sapper. After a year of service, when the term of partial mobilization ended, he wanted to return home, but his comrade, the commander of the sapper platoon, died, so Denys decided to continue his service and in 2017 became the platoon commander. Over time, in 2019, he was appointed company commander. He served in the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, and since May 2022 he has been performing tasks in the position of deputy battalion commander of one of the newly formed brigades. For many years, Denys was accompanied by his dog Patron, who was born on the front line, had combat missions, concussions, and wounds, but also died in the Russian-Ukrainian war. He died on August 4, 2022, during an enemy artillery attack near the city of Marinka in the Donetsk region. He was buried on August 7, 2022, in the city of Zavodske in the Poltava region, where his mother lives. He is survived by his father, sister, and wife.