Mykola A. Lanovenko

Lanovenko Mykola Andriiovych was born on September 23, 1987, in the village of Krasnopilka, Haisynskyi district, Vinnytsia region. He served in the military unit in Yalta, in the Ukrainian Crimea. After the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia in the spring of 2014, he refused to switch sides to the occupiers and did not betray his military oath. He continued his military service in his native Vinnytsia, in the National Guard of Ukraine unit. He held the position of squad commander of the patrol platoon in military unit 3008. Starting from 2014, he actively participated in military operations in Eastern Ukraine, going through more than ten rotations in the ATO/JFO area. He served as part of the special forces unit "Azov" of the National Guard of Ukraine. In the battles near Volnovakha, Mykola Lanovenko showed remarkable courage and saved the lives of several soldiers. For his combat merits, he was awarded numerous military decorations. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was at the forefront, holding the position of military duty officer. A few days before his death, Mykola Lanovenko carried the commander and deputy commander of the National Guard unit to a shelter, and then took command of the combat unit himself. He was killed on April 10, 2022, as a result of shrapnel wounds near the village of Solodke, Vuhledar community, Volnovaskyi district, Donetsk region. During the explosion of a mine, most of the fragments hit Mykola, and he protected his comrades with his own body. Mykola Lanovenko was buried in his native village of Krasnopilka, Haisynskyi district, Vinnytsia region. For his personal courage and selfless actions in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as his loyalty to the military oath, Mykola Andriiovych Lanovenko was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, III degree.