Mykola V. Sushko (Hiurza)

32-year-old senior soldier Mykola Sushko (call sign Gyurza) was killed on September 2, 2022, during the deoccupation of the village of Novovoznesenske in the Kherson region. Mykola was from the village of Shyroka Hreblia in the Vinnytsia region, where he graduated from the local school. He obtained the profession of a geography and ecology teacher at the Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University. He loved to travel, do sports, and especially enjoyed playing football. On his 22nd birthday, October 14, 2011, Mykola was enlisted in the military service under a contract in military unit A1048, where he continued to serve. Gyurza, as part of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Zakarpattia Brigade, participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation. In 2016, he defended the village of Novotroitske in the Luhansk region, in 2018 - the city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, and in 2021 he was near Shyrokyne in the Donetsk region. He held the position of senior rifleman. With the start of the full-scale war, Gyurza continued to defend Ukraine from the Russian invaders. "Mykola was very cheerful, sensitive, and kind. He was a true warrior, saved many people, loved life, the Motherland, and always helped others. We are very proud of him, but the strong pain of the loss does not leave our hearts. We will love and remember him forever," said his sister Maya. Mykola was buried in his native village in the Vinnytsia region. The defender left behind his parents, brother, and sister.