Ihor L. Bernatskyi (Pensiia)

Main Sergeant Igor Bernatskyi (call sign Pension) was killed on June 28, 2023 near the village of Storozhove in the Donetsk region. Wounded in battle, the defender arrived at the evacuation point and began to help load the heavily wounded soldiers into the evacuation vehicle. Noticing an enemy tank approaching them, he and his comrade sacrificed their own lives to cover the departure of the armored personnel carrier with the wounded, saving them, but did not survive the battle themselves. In a month, on July 23, Igor would have turned 50 years old. Igor was from the city of Berestechko, Volyn region. In 1994, he graduated from the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Agricultural College with a degree in "Mechanization of Agriculture", obtaining the qualification of a mechanical technician. From 1994 to 2016, he worked as a production training master at vocational school No. 27 in Berestechko, educating hundreds of students. In 2016, he and his wife moved to Poland, where they lived and worked until 2022. In his free time, he loved to cultivate the land, grow and harvest grain. When the full-scale war began, the man decided to return to his homeland and defend it. On March 9, 2022, Igor was drafted into military service in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, holding the position of a technician for the aircraft landing radar system in the communications and radio engineering support company of the communications and radio engineering support battalion. "We lived 28 years in a happy marriage. Igor honorably and with dignity fulfilled his duty as a citizen of Ukraine to defend his state. Until his last breath, he remained faithful to his comrades-in-arms, the Ukrainian people and our Motherland. He sacrificed himself for the victory in the struggle not only for our freedom, but also for the freedom of Europe and all the people of the free world. A brave warrior who has become an example of indomitability and strength of spirit for many," said Tetiana Bernatska. Igor was buried in his hometown. He is survived by his mother, wife and son. The warrior was posthumously awarded the Order of the President of Ukraine "For the Defense of Ukraine" and the Order of Courage of the III degree.