Mykola S. Dubikin (Tykhyi)

Sniper Mykola Dubikin (call sign Tykhy) was killed on May 12, 2023, near the village of Ivanivske in the Donetsk region. While covering his comrades, the soldier was killed by a mine explosion. The defender was only 24 years old. Mykola was born in the village of Sydorenkovo, Kharkiv region. He lived in the village of Pisky-Radkivski, and in 2014 he moved with his parents and sister to the city of Kupiansk. After school, he studied at the Kupiansk Vocational Lyceum, where he mastered the professions of plasterer, tiler, and painter. In 2018, Mykola went on a contract military service to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He fought in the Donbas region during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) / Joint Forces Operation (JFO) for three years. In 2021, he was discharged and went home. He wanted to return to civilian life. But on February 24, 2022, his plans changed. After the de-occupation of Kupiansk, the young man finally joined the army. He served in the 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aydar" of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of a second-category sniper. "Mykola was a true patriot of his country. He was in Kupiansk during the occupation, endured it, and after the liberation of the city, he went to defend our Motherland again. Mykola ended up in the Aydar battalion, where for almost a year he defended our state. He was in direct contact with the enemy. He was an example for his comrades, but the cursed war takes the best sons of Ukraine. At the cost of his own life, he defended his country to the last," said the deceased's cousin, Nadia. The brave soldier was buried in the village of Podoly, Kharkiv region. Mykola is survived by his parents, sister, brother, wife, son, relatives, friends, and comrades.