Ivan Ye. Kovenko (Netreba)

Ivan Kovenko, a fighter of the Territorial Defense Forces, was killed on March 13, 2023, while defending the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region from the occupiers. He was 43 years old. Ivan was born in the village of Netreba, Rivne region. He graduated from the Velykotsepcevytskyi Lyceum. He worked as a builder. He was married and raised three sons with his wife, the eldest of whom requires constant treatment. In his free time, he loved fishing and mushroom picking. He was interested in the history of Ukraine and technology. On the second day of the full-scale war, on February 25, 2022, Ivan went to defend his family and Motherland. He joined the ranks of the 61st separate battalion of the 104th brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a senior rifleman. "Our angel is a hero. He was a true patriot of his country. Having a deferment from conscription to care for his elderly mother and three children, he joined the army. He guarded the border with Belarus, and later was transferred to Bakhmut, where he went to the positions from the first days. Our hero was caring, the best and most loving son, brother, husband and father," said the wife of the fallen Iryna. "The war took away the father from the children, the comrade and friend from the servicemen, the defender, the warrior, the flower of the Ukrainian nation, our support and foundation from our community and the country. The unspeakable pain of the heavy loss is shared with the family of the fallen," noted the Antonivska community. The defender was buried in his native village. At home, Ivan was awaited by his mother, wife and three sons.