Ivan M. Varchuk (Spektr)

Lieutenant Ivan Varchuk (call sign Spektr) was killed on March 4, 2023, in battle with Russian saboteurs near the village of Budarky in the Kharkiv region. Exactly a month later, the defender would have turned 40 years old. Ivan was from the city of Sokyryany in the Chernivtsi region. He graduated from the Podilsky State Agrarian and Technical University, where he obtained a degree in economics. For almost 18 years, he held various positions in the Sokyryany District State Administration and the Sokyryany City Council. He started his career in the Department of Economic Development of the District State Administration. In 2007, he headed the Department of Maintaining the State Voter Register. Since 2009, he has held the position of Head of the Department of Agriculture of the District State Administration. In 2020, he was elected a deputy of the city council. That same year, he was appointed head of the Municipal Inspection Department of the Sokyryany City Council. He loved life and adored his family. In the first days of the full-scale war, the man stood up to defend his country from the enemy. On March 1, 2022, Ivan joined the ranks of the 107th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was the commander of a rifle company in the 97th battalion. A wise and professional commander, a loyal friend and comrade, he enjoyed a high level of trust among the command of the military unit and the military unit he led. He was a military leader. Thanks to his professional qualities and authority, he united a combat-ready team, in which the relationships between officers, sergeants, and soldiers were based on mutual understanding, support, and complementarity. He provided an atmosphere in which warriors motivate themselves to perform their duties, and all their actions are aimed at ensuring the combat readiness of the team. "It is very difficult to realize that Vanyusha is not with us, how hard it is to believe that he is no longer there. I can say with confidence that I was a happy wife. Thank you for giving me a son and a daughter. In each of them, I see him. With him, I was like behind a stone wall. Unfortunately, I have to be strong and I promise that I will withstand all that pain, all that longing. I will be strong and hold on, first of all, for our children and for him. He will forever remain in my memory and heart. I want everyone to remember him smiling and happy," the officer's wife said. The hero was buried in his hometown. At home in Ivan, his wife Larysa, son Valentyn, and daughter Emilia were waiting. Ivan Varchuk was awarded the honorary distinction of the Chernivtsi Regional Council "For Merit to Bukovyna".