Mykola P. Pytel (Borsuk)

Soldier Mykola Pytel (call sign Badger) was killed on December 22, 2022, in the Donetsk region. He sustained a gunshot wound during an enemy artillery barrage in Bakhmut. Mykola was 45 years old. He was born in the village of Poplava, Ternopil region. He graduated from school and then a vocational school, where he obtained the profession of an electrician. In civilian life, he worked as a driver. He loved fishing. He joined the defense of Ukraine in 2014. He held the defense of the Donetsk airport. Later, he returned to his usual life. In February 2022, when the full-scale war began, the man again went to defend the Motherland. He was initially part of the separate brigade of the territorial defense of Ternopil, and then, with his comrades-in-arms from the Velyka Haiivka community, he went to military training in Yavoriv. He defended Kyiv and Kherson regions. After a short vacation, he was sent to Bakhmut. He held the position of senior driver of the 24th separate mechanized brigade named after King Danylo. He was awarded the Order of the Cross of the Hero. "Mykola was a kind, sensitive, and observant person. He had golden hands, and whatever he took on, he did it perfectly," said his sister Svitlana Knyazheva. The defender was buried in the village of Hrabovets, Ternopil region. At home, Mykola was awaited by his father, wife, daughter, brothers, and sisters.