Mykhailo S. Samoilenko

Border guard Mykhailo Samoylenko was killed on March 17, 2022, during an artillery shelling near the city of Merefa in the Kharkiv region. On November 21, the defender would have turned 21 years old. Mykhailo was born in the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. He graduated from the local technical school of the Kharkiv National Technical University of Agriculture named after Petro Vasylenko. Friends recall that in everyday life, Mykhailo was friendly, always helping in various situations. Two months before the full-scale war, the young man signed a contract with one of the units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, which was stationed in his hometown. From the first days of the Russian army's invasion, Mykhailo stood on the defense of his homeland. "Mykhailo was very polite, brave in all matters, hardworking, kind, and was an example for others. He had many friends who would only say good and warm words about him. Forever in the ranks!" said a friend of the fallen fighter. The defender's body was buried in one of the local cemeteries in the then-occupied Kharkiv region. Mykhailo is survived by his parents and a younger sister.