Maksym V. Kahal (Piston)

Kagal Mykola Volodymyrovych (callsign Piston) was born on July 5, 1991, in Kremenchuk, Poltava region. In 2014, he was a 5th-year student at the Institute of Mechanics and Transport of Kremenchuk National University named after Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi. He participated in the Revolution of Dignity and took part in various patriotic events, switching to communication in the Ukrainian language. He increasingly told his coach that he planned to defend Ukraine with a weapon in hand. He served in the National Guard's Special Operations Detachment "Azov." In 2015, he participated in fierce battles for the village of Shyrokyne. When circumstances allowed, he combined service with sports. Since February 24, 2022, platoon commander, senior lieutenant Mykola Kagal, along with his comrades, defended the city of Mariupol. His task was to hold back the advance of Russian occupiers. On March 5, 2022, Mykola led a consolidated unit that managed to completely defeat an enemy battalion tactical group and forced the Russians to flee in disgrace, despite being outnumbered five to one. The enemy shelled the Ukrainian defenders with heavy artillery fire from land and sea, but the defenders managed to destroy at least 2 tanks, 4 armored personnel carriers, 2 self-propelled artillery systems, and about a company of infantry. Later, Mykola led a group of "Azov" fighters that destroyed the invaders' command post in one of Mariupol's five-story buildings. During the cleanup, Mykola went ahead, inspiring his subordinates by his example, personally eliminating Russians with fire and grenades, and capturing one of them. The enemies turned out to be special forces of Putin's military intelligence. In the battle, two "Azov" fighters were seriously injured and could not move; however, Mykola quickly provided them with first aid and organized their evacuation. He was killed on March 25, 2022, as a result of an aerial bomb explosion during an enemy assault on Ukrainian positions on the outskirts of Mariupol. He was buried on January 16, 2023, in his hometown of Kremenchuk, in the Heroes Alley of the Svyshtov Cemetery.