Denys O. Babii (Trein)

Junior Lieutenant Denys Babii (call sign Train) was killed while carrying out a combat mission in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. On April 21, 2023, the defender's life was cut short by artillery shelling. Denys was 29 years old. He was from the settlement of Salkove, Kirovohrad Oblast, but lived in Vinnytsia. He obtained a higher education at the Odesa National Academy of Telecommunications named after O.S. Popov. He was an active participant in the ultras fan movement of the Vinnytsia "Nyva" football club and one of the leaders of the Vinnytsia public organization "Centurion". In civilian life, he worked as a tattoo artist and had his own studio "No Mercy". He took up the defense of Ukraine from the very first day of the full-scale war. He initially participated in the defense of the capital, then in the attempt to unblock Mariupol, and later counterattacked the enemy in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk directions. He held the position of company commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Denys was awarded the badge "For Assistance in the Defense of Kyiv" and the highest award of Vinnytsia Oblast "For Merits to Vinnytsia Region" (posthumously). "He was fair, honest, courageous, ambitious and very loving. He practiced free fighting, went to the gym, adored football and loved to draw," added his wife Ivanna Babii. The defender was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Sabarivskyi Cemetery in Vinnytsia. The defender is survived by his mother Tetiana Ivanivna, wife Ivanna and daughter Solomiia, who was born after his death. In honor of Denys, a street in the city was renamed.