Dmytro S. Martynenko (Prepod)

Junior Lieutenant Dmytro Martynenko (call sign Prepod) was killed on October 2, 2022 near the village of Torske in the Donetsk region. During the evacuation of the wounded, the vehicle of the defenders was blown up on a mine. The officer suffered fatal injuries. He was 31 years old. Dmytro was born in the city of Buryn, Sumy region. After 11th grade, he entered the Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko. He obtained the profession of a teacher of physics and mathematics. During his studies, he worked as a laboratory assistant at the Department of Physics for a year. After graduation, he became a physics and mathematics teacher at Konotop Secondary School No. 9. He attracted students with his knowledge and ability to find a common language with them. He loved an active lifestyle. During the full-scale invasion, the man without hesitation changed his profession and took up arms to defend his country. Dmytro served in the ranks of the 114th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was the commander of a platoon of a rifle company of the 134th separate battalion. He received the medal "Defender of Ukraine". "My husband was always responsible, friendly, and an interesting interlocutor. He always came to the aid of friends, he could be relied upon, the guys followed him, no matter what. He was an extremely patriotic person with a clear civic position. He loved an active outdoor lifestyle in tents with friends. He took part in the filming of the clip "There are no Russians in Donbas" (author Orest Liutyi). He celebrated his last birthday at the front with the personnel, he turned 31 years old. The guys then gave him a Ukrainian flag and a working RPG-18 "Mukha" grenade launcher as a gift, but unfortunately he did not have time to fire it. After the death of my husband, the guys handed me the expended "Mukha" and the flag with the signatures of the personnel. His comrades-in-arms always saw and perceived him as a leader and a person who could be relied upon and not worried. They said that Dmytro had a certain high educational qualification, so he simply did not pay attention to many things. He was never afraid of death and always told me not to cry in case of anything, that everything is always as it should be," the officer's wife said. The officer was buried in the Alley of Glory in his hometown. At home, Dmytro was awaited by his wife Yulia and son Leonid, who was 2 years and 11 months old at the time of his father's death.