Denys V. Kostiuk (Den)

Soldier Denys Kostiuk (call sign Den) was killed on March 22, 2023, in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. During the performance of a combat mission, he was fatally wounded as a result of enemy artillery shelling. The defender was 28 years old. Denys was born in Lutsk. He graduated from the Shatsk Forestry College named after V.V. Sulka and received a master's degree from the Lviv National Forestry University. He worked as a packer at Silpo-Food LLC. He loved to read, watch movies, and play computer games. During the full-scale war, Denys defended Ukraine in the ranks of the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the positions of rifleman, gunner, and grenade launcher assistant. His call sign was Den, which is what everyone called him since childhood. "A good son who loved his parents, sister, and grandmother very much. Comrades said he was the kind of person you wanted to talk to. He was a good comrade and friend," wrote his mother, Oksana Kostiuk. The defender was buried in the cemetery in the village of Polonka, Volyn region. Denys is survived by his parents and sister. Posthumously, soldier Denys Kostiuk was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.