Ivan M. Antoniuk (Antonio)

Ivan Mykolayovych Antoniuk (call sign Antonio) was born on March 19, 1992, in the village of Kupychiv, Turiyiskyi district, Volyn region. Ivan's paternal grandfather, Vasyl Tymofiyovych Antoniuk, was a participant in the UPA, and his maternal grandmother, Hanna Vasylivna Tsekhosh, was a distinguished teacher and director of Kupychiv Secondary School I-III degrees. His father, Mykola Vasylovych, a local historian, has headed the local branch of the People's Movement of Ukraine in Kupychiv since 1989. In 2007, Ivan Antoniuk graduated from Kupychiv Secondary School I-III degrees. From March 4, 2009, he led the Young People's Movement in Volyn. On September 5, 2013, he supported the unification of the Volyn branches of the Young People's Movement and "Batkivshchyna Moloda." He was the initiator of the restoration of the monument to fallen UPA soldiers in Kupychiv. Every year, he organized visits for the youth to the former UPA base "Sich" in the Vovchak area, as well as hikes to Mount Hoverla. As a volunteer, he actively participated in organizing the "Bandershtat" festivals. He created a football team of young "movement members." He graduated from Volodymyr-Volynskyi Agrotechnical College. He was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity. In February 2015, he volunteered to go to the front. Over 7 years, he rose from a soldier (mechanic-driver of an infantry fighting vehicle) to a company commander. He graduated from the Faculty of Geography at Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University. He is a co-author of the book "Where Ukraine Resurrected. Vovchak," which was published in Lutsk. In 2019, he graduated from the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy. Since August 2019, he held the position of commander of a machine gun platoon in the 1st company of the mechanized battalion of the 24th OMBr. He performed duties in the Maryinka direction, in the village of Novomykhailivka, Pokrovskyi district of Donetsk region. That same year, he took command of the 1st company, which he made exemplary through his organizational efforts. He served near the city of Svitlodarsk in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk region, and later in the city of Zolote in the Sieverodonetsk district of Luhansk region. Under the cover of artillery fire on March 6, 2022, Russian tanks approached the KSP "Antonio." It unexpectedly turned out that the surrounding area had been demined (although Ivan had been informed otherwise the day before). Antonio managed to report the location and number of enemies to the command via radio. A tank approached within 20 meters of the bunker and began shelling the shelter. At that moment, Antonio and the sniper Fiksik decided to neutralize it with an RPG-22. Ivan jumped out of the bunker, but a bullet hit him in the temple, ending the soldier's life. After that, an evacuation of the KSP took place, followed shortly by a counterattack that repelled the enemies. Ivan's body was transported to a semi-destroyed morgue in Sieverodonetsk, and from there to the city of Dnipro. The funeral took place on March 14, 2022, on the Hill of Glory in his native village of Kupychiv in Volyn. The funeral service for Ivan Antoniuk was conducted by the Bishop of Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Turiyiskyi of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Matviy. For personal courage and selfless actions demonstrated in defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and loyalty to the military oath, Ivan Mykolayovych Antoniuk was posthumously awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi III degree. Ivan Antoniuk was also awarded the non-state Order of the People's Hero of Ukraine (posthumously). On the anniversary, a memorial film titled "The Warrior's Path" was released in memory of Antonio. On June 13, 2024, a memorial wall for fallen defenders of Ukraine was ceremonially opened at the Kupychiv Lyceum. One of the eight memorial plaques honors the feat of Ivan Antoniuk. On July 25, 2024, a street named after Gagarin in the village of Kupychiv was renamed Ivan Antoniuk Street.