Mykola M. Matviienko (Diadia Kolia)

After completing his mandatory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Mykolayovych worked for some time in the internal affairs bodies as an assistant to the district police inspector. His career as a law enforcement officer did not work out due to a conflict with the management, but he maintained good relations with former colleagues, who remembered him as a principled and decent person. He worked at one of the security firms, and after the Revolution of Dignity, he signed a contract to serve in the military reserve of the National Guard of Ukraine. Mastering the automatic mounted grenade launcher AGS-17, he became one of the best shooters with this formidable weapon, capable of hitting a target at first sight with a short burst. Thanks to this special "talent," the fighter with the call sign Uncle Kolya bravely repelled attacks from separatists at checkpoints near Sloviansk and Debaltseve — once he destroyed an entire enemy unit, annihilating a column of several vehicles. Comrades recall that Mykola Mykolayovych had some of the best helmets, bulletproof vests, and other equipment in the unit, which were purchased for him by his fellow countrymen — all of this was looted by the militia after his death, and they even mocked him by tearing the clothes off the dead guardsman… "He was a patriot, a modest person who steadfastly sought justice," people said about him during the burial in his homeland, where his elderly parents and fiancée remained, with whom they planned to marry after his return from the East…