Ihor V. Riabenko (Krym)

National Guard soldier Ihor Riabenko (call sign Krym) was killed on January 31, 2023, in battle with the occupiers near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 38 years old. Ihor was born and raised in Sevastopol in Crimea. There he studied and worked. He was a passionate patriot, so he took part in the Revolution of Dignity. After the occupation of his native peninsula, he settled in Kyiv. With the start of the full-scale war, Ihor joined the volunteer formation of the territorial community "Svoboda". He took part in the battles for Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel in the Kyiv region. Later, his unit became the Svoboda Battalion of the 4th Operational Purpose Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine named after Sergeant Serhii Mykhalchuk, Hero of Ukraine. Ihor's combat path continued in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Comrades remember Ihor as a man of incredible courage and a faithful friend. Being wounded, he returned to his positions and continued the fight. When he ended up in the hospital, he literally tore himself away from there to return to the ranks, to his comrades. He was an example for everyone. His main motivation was to destroy the enemy. And his main dream was to take part in the liberation of his native Crimea. The courage of Ihor Riabenko will inspire future generations, and we will cherish his memory as long as we live, wrote his comrade Andrii Illenko. You could have sat out in Kyiv during the full-scale invasion, but you chose the path of a volunteer in the Ukrainian army because you couldn't do otherwise. You were always joking a lot. You said you didn't like to fight, but this is the only chance to see Crimea again, where there will be Ukrainian flags. It was always interesting to talk to you, you knew the history of the insurgent movement well and knew what you were fighting for. Such people should not die so young, but unfortunately this war takes the best... We will definitely return all the occupied territories. Your name is already carved into modern history. Heroes don't die! Rest in peace, friend... wrote his friend Olena Tavriika. The defender was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Kyiv. Ihor left behind a fiancée.