Denys S. Boichenko (Den)

Soldier Denis Boychenko (call sign Den) was killed on October 13, 2022, in a battle with Russian saboteurs near the village of Mala Seideminukha in the Kherson region. The defender was left with 36 years. Denis was born in Kirovohrad (now Kropyvnytskyi). After graduating from school, he obtained a degree in commodity science at the Kirovohrad Vocational College of Food and Trade. He worked a bit in his field but decided that he wasn't suited for it, so he later started doing repairs in apartments. He was involved in sports and had a passion for painting, creating designs and bringing them to life himself. When the full-scale war began, he enlisted in the local Territorial Defense and was eager to fight, wanting to protect his home from the occupiers. He then joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of machine gunner in the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after the Cossack Ataman Kosty Hordiienko. "Previously, my son had not served in the army, he had a plate in his right arm, but since the beginning of the war, that did not stop him from becoming a volunteer to defend Ukraine. He always repeated: 'Who, if not me, will protect my children and parents?'. He believed in Ukraine's victory and despised draft dodgers until the end. He is our Hero. That day, Denis fought until the last bullet. The entire group, which included my son, was killed. The wounded were finished off with automatic weapons, and then they were mined. Only after some time could the comrades de-mine and retrieve the fallen to their positions," said the hero's mother, Lyubov Boychenko. The warrior was buried at the Alley of Glory in the Far Eastern Cemetery in his hometown. Denis is survived by his parents, daughter, and son.