Ivan P. Petrov

Soldier Ivan Petrov died on March 20, 2022 in Mariupol, Donetsk region. While carrying out a combat mission, he sustained fatal injuries. He was forever 20 years old. Ivan was born in the village of Berezyne, Odesa region. After finishing school, he enrolled in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky Maritime Fisheries College and obtained the qualification of a fisheries technician. After completing his military service in 2020, he signed a contract with the National Guard of Ukraine and moved to Zaporizhzhia. Four months before the full-scale invasion, he was in the Donbas, and from February 24, 2022, he defended Mariupol. He was the fire control and maneuver section operator of the 1st self-propelled artillery division platoon. Ivan last called me on March 13, 2022. Before that, we had a special conversation, like a farewell. There was an air raid alert at the time. The younger children were in the basement. I was also getting ready when suddenly I heard a call on the computer. My son asked me to turn on the video call: I saw him only for a minute. And these touching words: "Mom, I love you all so much!" After that, there was no news from my son. A year and a half of wandering and vain hopes: he was considered missing. Only on July 24, 2023, a DNA test confirmed that my son died during a combat mission on March 20, 2022, in Mariupol. I have very little information, I know he was with the Azov regiment. Ivan loved Ukraine to the point of madness since childhood. He was balanced, courageous, and determined. He protected his younger brothers when they needed his support. Ivan had a passion for the beautiful: he drew well, made wooden souvenirs by hand, and molded various small items from clay. Every holiday for mom was always with surprises from Ivan. He dreamed of proposing to his beloved girl and becoming a sailor. But my son's dreams did not come true," said the warrior's mother, Hanna Petrova. Ivan was buried on July 29, 2023, in the cemetery in his native Berezyne. At home, Ivan was awaited by his parents and two younger brothers. The defender was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, Third Degree, and the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Tarashcha Settlement Territorial Community." In August 2023, a memorial plaque "Heroes of Tarashcha" was unveiled in Berezyne, and on November 8, a memorial plaque "In Memory of the Fallen Fellow Villagers" was installed.