Illia O. Tuz

Tuz Illya Oleksandrovych was born on July 9, 1996, in the village of Babychivka in the Zhytomyr region. In 2012, he entered the Center for Professional and Technical Education in Zhytomyr and mastered the profession of a tractor driver. In 2015, after completing his education, he went for military service. During his service in the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade, he repeatedly went on international trainings and received certificates. In the spring of 2021, he went to the Joint Forces Operation zone in the area of the town of New York, Donetsk region. He was killed on April 4, 2022, near the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region. He is survived by his parents, sister, and fiancée. "Direct hit from a tank," said his comrade-in-arms Oleksandr Perestyuk. "He was my friend, my comrade. He was a brave man, a man with a capital letter. Illya helped everyone, he was very sociable. His death caused us great pain." The hero was buried on April 9, 2022, at the Smolian Military Cemetery in Zhytomyr.