Mykola V. Derun (Batia)

50-year-old National Guard soldier Mykola Derun (call sign Batya) was killed on April 19, 2023 in the area of the village of Kuzmyne in Luhansk region. The unit of Ukrainian defenders occupied enemy positions, but later the occupiers began intense shelling with mortars and artillery, trying to storm the positions. During another mortar attack, Mykola suffered serious injuries. Comrades tried to provide assistance, but the injuries were too severe. Mykola was born in the village of Stepove in Mykolaiv region. He lived in the village of Volodymyrivka, Mykolaiv region. For almost his entire life, he was a tractor driver at various enterprises. A few years before the full-scale invasion, he realized his dream - he started working on his own land. At the beginning of the war, the man joined the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. At first, he served in a unit that protected the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant. Then, when the situation in the region stabilized somewhat, he was transferred to the 15th separate regiment and went to the front. "The father was a man of conscience, he always did everything to provide for his family. He cherished his family very much. And after the start of the full-scale invasion, he could not stay at home, even though he was almost 50 years old. His main dream was to work on his own Ukrainian land, to have his own equipment. He was saving money for a tractor, which was bought after his father's death, and named it 'The Dream'. The Ukrainian flag hung in the yard of his house. When the war started and the father went to the army, he strictly ordered his wife not to take down the flag under any circumstances. He said that he was fighting for the family, the native home, the flag and the country," said the deceased's son Andrii. The defender was buried in the village of Volodymyrivka in Mykolaiv region. Mykola is survived by his mother, wife, two sons and a grandson. Posthumously, soldier Mykola Derun was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.