Ivan V. Baranych

Baranich Ivan Vasylovych was born on July 7, 1994 in the city of Stryi, Lviv region. At the age of 3, Ivan lost both parents, who tragically died in a car accident. Since then, Ivan's upbringing was taken care of by his grandmother, who was his guardian. In 2000–2009, he studied at the Stryi Secondary School of I–III Levels No. 8, and actively participated in the activities of the Stryi Choir School "Shchedryk". In 2009–2011, he was a cadet at the Lviv Lyceum with Intensive Military and Physical Training named after the Heroes of Kruty. In 2011, he became a cadet at the Lviv State University of Life Safety, where he studied until 2015 in the specialty "Fire Safety". He worked in the Slavske Search and Rescue Group of the Emergency Rescue Squad of the Special Purpose Rescue Squad of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Lviv region, holding the positions of head of the department and deputy head of the group, and repeatedly participated in the rescue of people in the mountains. Tourists, mushroom pickers, and skiers who got lost were sincerely grateful to Ivan for saving their lives and preserving their health. In June 2021, Ivan Baranich signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was sent to the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. During the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the 1st company of the 1st battalion of the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, where Ivan served, began combat operations in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. For the successful completion of a combat mission, when the Ukrainian unit successfully fought against the superior forces of the enemy, he was awarded the honorary badge "For Exemplary Military Service" of the III degree. Later, Ivan's unit carried out combat missions in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. For the successful evacuation of wounded soldiers under enemy fire, Ivan Baranich was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree. He died on July 5, 2022 during reconnaissance of future positions for the Ukrainian military. The pickup truck driven by Ivan Baranich was blown up on a mine near the village of Spirne in the Donetsk region. The hero was buried on July 7, 2022 in the city of Stryi, Lviv region.