Ivan I. Koinash (Zarika)

Junior Sergeant Ivan Koinash (call sign Zarika) was killed on November 9, 2022, while performing a combat mission in the area of the village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region. The soldier received fatal injuries during enemy artillery shelling. He was forever 40 years old. Ivan was born in the village of Hurbyntsi, Chernihiv region. He studied there at school. Then he graduated from the Romny Polytechnic College, obtaining the profession of an economist. He served in the military. In 2014-2015, he took part in the ATO. He lived with his family in Kyiv. He worked on construction sites. In his free time, he loved to read books, reading everywhere - in transport, at home, at war. He knew the history of Ukraine well. He loved to fish, play chess, and taught this to his son, who was 5 years old at the time. During the full-scale invasion of the invaders, Ivan again stood up to defend his Homeland, joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 30th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi. He held the position of chief sergeant - commander of a mortar platoon mortar. "My Ivan was a true patriot, in the first days he went without hesitation to defend Ukraine. In 2014, he bravely withstood fierce battles, but in 2022 - no. According to his stories, this time it was more difficult to fight and leave the family, since his beloved son was waiting at home, whom Ivan dreamed of taking to the 1st grade. Ivan was a kind and sincere person, always with a smile on his face. He loved history, Ukraine, and read a lot. When his belongings were handed over to me after his death, there was a book from the Kramatorsk library... He believed in victory..." - said the wife of the fallen warrior Tetiana. The defender was buried next to his father in the cemetery of his native village of Hurbyntsi. At home, Ivan was awaited by his wife and son. Posthumously, Junior Sergeant Ivan Koinash was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.