Mykola H. Bilous (Staryi)

Soldier Mykola Bilous (call sign Stary) was killed in action on July 12, 2022, while performing a combat mission in the area of the village of Dementiivka, Kharkiv region. The day before, the 57-year-old defender went on a mission, around 3:00 Ukrainian military personnel fell into an enemy ambush, as a result of the battle the fighter was killed in action. Mykola Bilous was born in the city of Buryn, Sumy region. He graduated from a local school. For a long time, he worked at the Buryn Central District Hospital as a driver, and then as a mechanic. He loved to drive, was a reliable friend. For some time, he earned money by repairing apartments. He promised that when he retired, he would buy a small dog and walk it with his granddaughter. This, perhaps, is the only promise to the family that he did not fulfill. On February 24, 2022, Mykola was in Kyiv, working on a construction site. And already in 4 days, the man decided to sign up for the territorial defense. He told his wife: "Children are dying in the war, and I won't sit in an apartment." He held the position of driver, almost 4 months passed training in Kyiv. He never complained. After each shift, even late at night, he called his wife. He told his friends: "She doesn't sleep - she's waiting." On July 3, Stary's unit went to Kharkiv region. The man dreamed of returning home after completing the task and bringing his granddaughter a chocolate bunny. On July 11, he called his wife for the last time and said: "We don't say goodbye to each other. I'll call you in a week or two." But on the night of July 12, Stary was killed in action. As comrades recalled, already being wounded, he continued to fight. That's how he was killed in action with a machine gun in his hands. Due to constant enemy shelling, Mykola's body was able to be taken away only on the 9th day after his death. The fighter was buried in his hometown of Buryn. "He was a real man. With all the troubles, I always rushed to him. And only he could speak so calmly: "Don't worry. The main thing is that everything is fine with us." And all the problems became not so big," his wife Svitlana said. At home, Mykola was waiting for his wife, sons Oleksandr and Yaroslav, as well as his beloved 4-year-old granddaughter Arina. The girl dreams of becoming a soldier of the Armed Forces, like her grandfather.