Mykhailo Ye. Babenko (Boroda)

Serviceman Mykhailo Babenko (call sign Boroda) was killed on November 1, 2022 in a battle with the occupiers near the village of Oleksandrivka in the Kherson region. The warrior was 33 years old. Mykhailo was born in the village of Lisne, Luhansk region. He obtained the profession of a stonemason at the Luhutynsk Vocational and Technical School. In his free time, he loved fishing. He was interested in cars. Since 2008, he has served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He lived with his family in Odesa. Mykhailo fought in the Donbas since 2014. He repeatedly carried out combat missions in the area of the ATO / JFO. During his service, he gained authority among his comrades-in-arms and command. During the full-scale war, the man continued to defend Ukraine from the Russian occupiers. He served in the ranks of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign. He held the position of senior sergeant of the 9th Mechanized Company. Together with the unit, he was at the forefront from the first days of the invasion. "This is a man with a capital letter, whom all his comrades-in-arms and fellow soldiers were proud of. He was a professional in the handling of weapons, in orientation on the terrain, in the correct setting of combat tasks. From 2014 to 2022, Mykhailo served in the JFO zone. He saved a lot of his fellow soldiers and a lot of civilians in Marinka," said the wife of the fallen soldier, Marina. The hero was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Western Cemetery in Odesa. Mykhailo left behind a wife, son Ivan and daughter Sophia. The children were 7 and 2 years old at the time of their father's death.