Hryhorii V. Kulinich (Greg)

43-year-old junior sergeant Hryhoriy Kulinich (call sign GREG) was killed on July 25, 2023 near the village of Vasyukivka in the Donetsk region. While performing his duties, he came under enemy artillery and Grad rocket fire and sustained fatal injuries. Hryhoriy was born and lived in Kyiv. He graduated from school No. 41. He was a private entrepreneur - he was engaged in furniture collection. Since 2014, he has been actively participating in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Initially, he was a volunteer, and in 2018 he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) / Joint Forces Operation (JFO). In December 2021, he was demobilized and returned to civilian life. He was passionate about history and wrote poetry. On February 24, 2022, the man returned to the military. On the first day of the invasion, he immediately went to the military enlistment office to defend his homeland with weapons again. He served in the 30th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi. He held the position of a reconnaissance-rangefinder in a mortar battery. "Hryhoriy was very courageous, brave and kind. The best man. Since 2014, he has been defending our Ukraine, although he had a white ticket. He volunteered on the first day of the full-scale invasion. He defended Bakhmut, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and other cities. He participated in various operations," his wife Natalia said. "My uncle Hryhoriy Kulinich has been defending our state since the end of 2018, and continued this cause when the full-scale war began. We will all remember Hrysha as a man with a kind and just heart. Eternal memory and glory to the Hero!" wrote Anastasia Kulinich. Hryhoriy was buried at the Forest Cemetery in the capital. The warrior left behind his parents, wife, son, niece, other relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms. The defender was posthumously awarded the decoration of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "Golden Cross".