Mykola M. Rybak

Senior soldier Mykola Rybak was killed on February 6, 2023 near the settlement of Krasna Hora in the Donetsk region. The warrior received injuries incompatible with life during a Russian artillery barrage. The defender was forever 33 years old. Mykola was born in the village of Rodnykivka, Cherkasy region. He graduated from Rodnykivska secondary school, then the Uman Agro College, and then served in the army. After demobilization, Mykola worked, and then went to Italy to earn money. There he met his fellow villager Olga, who later became his wife. Until February 24, 2022, the young Rybak family lived very close to the northern borders with Russia. Immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion, Mykola evacuated his family to the Uman region. And he himself joined the ranks of the defenders. He defended the country as part of the 30th separate mechanized brigade. He held the position of squad commander of the motorized infantry battalion. For his service, Senior Soldier Mykola Rybak was awarded the "Steel Cross" badge and the "For Merit to Uman Region" award (posthumously). "For me, Kolya is the best of people. He will forever remain in my heart and memory. It is impossible to forget or stop loving such a person. It is impossible to heal the pain of loss. It is also painful for our daughter, who knows her father only from photos and short videos. Our husband and father was always honest, kind, but at the same time courageous, reliable and fair. My husband was an example of integrity, and he will remain so. According to his comrades-in-arms, Kolya was a responsible, organized commander, he went where others were afraid. Thanks to him, more than one life was saved," said the warrior's wife Olga. Mykola is survived by his wife, a daughter who was only 2 months old at the time of his death, a brother, sisters and father.