Leonid V. Markelov

Soldier Leonid Markelov was killed on April 20, 2022 near Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region during an enemy mortar attack. He was 34 years old. Leonid was born in the village of Sorokotiahy, Kyiv region. He finished school and worked as a loader. In his free time, he loved fishing and being active. "Lenya was very kind and sociable, always came to help in a difficult moment and knew how to support not only with words, but also with deeds. In his free time from work, he loved to go fishing. When the war began, he could not sit at home and took up the defense not only of his native Motherland, but also of his relatives and loved ones. He said: "How can I sit here at home when there is a war there, and I have my own people who need to be protected so that they are safe," said his cousin Marina Shumska. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022, he joined the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and took the position of a rifleman-medic. As part of this brigade, he went to the Donbas. "You know, you are a Great person, at the cost of your life you protected us, your relatives, the country, freedom and independence. Lenya, I know you are our guardian angel. I know that the Almighty will find you a place in PARADISE!" wrote Leonid's godfather Oleksiy Volotivskyi. The hero was buried in his native village in the Kyiv region. Leonid left behind two sisters.