Ivan V. Bubalo

Soldier Ivan Bubalo was killed in action on March 7, 2022, during the liberation of Kyiv region from Russian occupiers. The defender received fatal injuries in the battle near the village of Sloboda-Kukharska. The warrior was left forever 35 years old. Ivan was born in the village of Lyubeshiv, Volyn region. He graduated from Lyubeshiv Comprehensive School, after school he worked as a builder. In his free time, he loved to fish and go hunting. During the full-scale war, Ivan defended Ukraine in the ranks of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. He held the position of mechanic-driver of a infantry fighting vehicle. He was a devoted and brave fighter. Ivan was a very decisive person. They always said about him that he had golden hands, because he took after his grandfather, a blacksmith. His combat comrades knew that he would repair everything. My brother always had a keen sense of justice, so he was one of the first to participate in the Orange Revolution, and later in the Revolution of Dignity. Freedom-loving, always cheerful, sociable, sincere... He knew his ancestry, loved history, nature, and fishing. He considered the years of service to be the best years of his life... Not once did I hear from him: "I found myself here...", "Next to me are the best comrades - faithful and fair...", - said his sister Alona. Ivan's teacher, Mykola Savchuk, dedicated a poem to him: WHO WAS DESTINED - MUST LIVE! Ivan, our dear Ivan, Why don't you get up at dawn?.. The boats are sleeping on the Stokhod, They have already waited. And do you remember, there were days: Father and son Bubalo will gather, And let's go fishing on Stokhid, Either on a boat or wading... Why didn't you wake up your mother at dawn today?.. Why didn't your hand reach for a jug of milk? Why didn't you take bread in your pocket, So as not to catch fish. And the seagull from afar: "Why?!" But it was not destined for him... Time cannot be stopped in its place, It goes on and drives us: WHO WAS DESTINED - MUST LIVE, Like our Ivan, to love life! The serviceman was buried in his native village. Ivan left behind his parents, wife, three children, and a sister. Ivan Bubalo was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.