Mykola V. Zaitsev

Born on March 9, 1977, in the city of Komsomolsk (since 2016 - Horishni Plavni) in the Poltava region. In 1992, he graduated from the 8th grade of secondary school No. 4 in Komsomolsk, and in 1995, he graduated from the professional construction lyceum in Komsomolsk with a specialty in "automobile crane operator - driver." From 1992 to 1995, he practiced shooting at the Children's and Youth Sports School No. 1 in Komsomolsk. In November 1996, he was drafted for compulsory military service. After completing his military service, he graduated with honors from the Military Institute of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (now - National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, Kharkiv). After graduating from the educational institution, he served in the ranks of the Border Troops of Ukraine (since 2003 - State Border Guard Service of Ukraine). He served as an officer, head of the missile and artillery armament service in a military unit in Western Ukraine, and from 2008, he was the head of the special means supply department of the engineering and technical support department of the Training Center for Junior Specialists of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (now - named after Major General Ihor Momot - military unit 9930, village of Orshanytsia, Sosnivka district, Cherkasy city). Since the spring of 2014, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. On June 14, 2014, a convoy of vehicles from the State Border Guard Service, in which Major Mykola Zaitsev was present, was heading for rotation to the border units with a cargo of provisions and equipment. Around 10:00, on the outskirts of the city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region, near the Azovstal metallurgical plant, the convoy was ambushed by militants and was fired upon with automatic and sniper weapons and grenades. Major Mykola Zaitsev was driving in the first car, which passed through the ambush, but he stopped and began to shoot back with his pistol. He was killed by a fatal head wound from a militant sniper while moving to cover. During the confrontation, Senior Sergeant Serhiy Yepifanov and serviceman (driver) Oleksandr Ostrovskyi were also killed. On the same day, from the injuries sustained, Major Vitaliy Vinnichenko died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and in the hospital in Mariupol, warrant officer Volodymyr Hrechany died. Another 7 border guards were injured to varying degrees of severity. On June 18, 2014, he was buried in the section of honorary burials at the city cemetery in Komsomolsk (since 2016 - Horishni Plavni) in the Poltava region.