Oleh I. Mikhniuk (Batia, Shyna)

Full cavalier of the Order of "For Courage". Awarded two Orders of the Red Star and the medal "For Bravery", the medal "Defender of the Fatherland". One of the initiators and founders of the Ukrainian Union of Afghan Veterans (USVA), he was the deputy chairman of the USVA for medical and social rehabilitation of veterans and military-patriotic education of youth. From the first days, he actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity, a centurion of the 8th "Afghan" hundred of the Maidan self-defense.₴Volodymyr Sakun on the death of Oleg Mikhniuk: "I was the last to see Oleg alive. It was August 20. Early in the morning, Mikhniuk set the task: 'We go out and take that height where we were ambushed.' We did not find the separatists, but discovered well-fortified positions, built clearly according to the regulations, as well as boxes from Russian military rations. We moved further towards Stanytsia Luhanska. There, with the help of a small 'toy' drone, we discovered 6 tanks. Personally, I was looking for a height where I could catch at least some connection: I wanted to call home and tell my family that I was alive. On one of the heights, the phone actually started working: I received an SMS saying 'Welcome to Russia.' It was August 20 at 15:22. This message is still in my mobile phone — as a memory.₴We returned to Novosvitlivka, where we found one fighter — Ryzhyi. He begged Mikhniuk for a trophy sniper rifle and made 10 shots in a row just behind our house. The separatists spotted us and opened mortar fire. One shell landed far away, the second — closer, the third — very close, meanwhile Mikhniuk began to push everyone into the cellar. I was the last to run in, Oleg was in front of me. We closed the door, but then Mikhniuk started pushing me out: 'I left my automatic there!'. He started tearing up, we jumped out, Oleg pushed me. I heard a wild rustle of a shell, I jumped aside behind the wall, a strong explosion of a 120…₴When the shelling ended, we saw Oleg near a tree with an automatic. The explosion occurred nearby, the wounds were incompatible with life. We were so stunned that when we sent Mikhniuk's body, we forgot to take the keys to the minibus from his pocket. So he remained in Novosvitlivka."