Denys O. Tarasov

43-year-old human rights defender Denys Tarasov was killed in battle with the occupiers. This became known on January 8, 2023. Denys was born and lived in Zaporizhzhia. He studied at local school No. 59. In 2001, he graduated from Zaporizhzhia Law Institute. He was the head of a law firm and the president of the public organization "Zaporizhzhia Human Rights League "Universal". He defended the interests of opponents of development projects. Since 2017, he has been a lawyer and a member of a political party, running for mayor. Friends, acquaintances and colleagues remember him as an honest and principled person and a qualified professional. From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Denys joined the defense of his native Zaporizhzhia in the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his last post on his page on January 7, 2023, Denys wrote about the frost in the trenches and thanked the volunteers for their help. "A huge loss for Ukraine, for Zaporizhzhia. Denys was a politician and a leader of a new formation. He fought not for power, not for personal interest, but for justice, for the public good. He demanded justice, compliance with the laws from the State of Ukraine. For the State of Ukraine, he gave the most precious thing he had - his life," wrote his friend Ostap Yednyak. "Denys, you showed me an example of how one can fight for the country. How to do it systematically, gradually, moving step by step. Denys, you are a rock. A rock that destroyed the waves of corruption and lawlessness. You are that unwavering core around which many patriots, honest and ideological people united," wrote his friend Ihor Lukashenko. "An incredible Person! Denys Tarasov is exactly the one who cared about what our country would be like, what his native Zaporizhzhia would be like, what the names of our streets would be... Honest and selfless, principled and decent... We remember your many good deeds, your fight against the arbitrariness of the local authorities that tried to take away the "lungs" of the community. And when others gave up, you went to the end and won," wrote the mayor of Trostianets, Yurii Bova. Denys is survived by a brother, wife and two children.