Ivan V. Holubka (Batko)

26-year-old junior sergeant Ivan Holubka (call sign Father) was killed on June 5, 2023, in a battle with Russian invaders near the village of Yakovlivka in the Donetsk region. The defender suffered a fatal shrapnel wound. Ivan was born in the village of Debeslavtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk region. During his school years, he was passionate about sports and actively participated in school competitions. He was involved in amateur art. Later, he obtained the profession of an automotive mechanic at the Kolomyia Industrial Pedagogical College. Then he enrolled at Ternopil National University named after V. Hnatyuk. He served his conscription military service. In civilian life, he worked in the construction industry - he was engaged in the repair of apartments and houses. He was passionate about horses and skiing. In May 2022, the man joined the ranks of the defenders and went to the front to repel the full-scale invasion of the occupiers. Ivan served in the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss". He held the position of deputy commander of a combat vehicle, gunner-operator. "My beloved was the most beautiful person in the world, kind, sensitive, courageous, cheerful, loving, intelligent. We went through a lot and had a lot more to go through, but unfortunately, this cursed war... He is my bright ray, my bright sun that warms me, my great boundless love. He is our guardian angel. I thank you, my dearest, for everything we went through, for every minute we spent together, for all the moments, and they were the most beautiful for us. For every smile of yours, my beloved, for all your kind words, for your kindness. Even when you were angry, you were the most beautiful in the world, I adored your jokes. You loved until your last breath. He held my hand tightly. Loved when we were thousands of kilometers apart. Loved until the last "I love you". This pain, the pain that tears the soul. The soul in which nothing is left. Only the warmest, most beloved memories of you. I love you, all my life and to the end," wrote the fiancée of the fallen Vladyslava Harbuz. "For me, he was a good acquaintance who was also friends with my children. He was a very sincere, good person, the soul of the company. He lost his mother early - she was killed of cancer. He helped his father raise his disabled sister," said Oryslava Yanyshenko. The warrior was buried in the Alley of Glory of the cemetery in his native village. Ivan is survived by his father Vasyl, brother Vasyl, sisters Mariana, Liubov and Oksana, fiancée Vladyslava, nieces Erika and Angelina. On October 1, 2023, a memorial plaque in his honor was installed on the facade of the Debeslavtsi Gymnasium.