Oleh P. Shpur (Smail)

Senior soldier Oleh Shpur (call sign Smile) was killed on May 1, 2023, defending the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. During the performance of a combat mission, he received fatal injuries as a result of enemy shelling of the positions of Ukrainian soldiers. The defender was 27 years old. Oleh was born and lived in the village of Yosypivka, Vinnytsia region. He graduated from the Shyrokohrebel school. He then obtained the profession of tractor driver-mechanic at the Hushchynetskyi Higher Vocational School. He worked at LLC "ARCHI". In 2017-2019, he served in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, holding the position of driver. He participated in the Joint Forces Operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He had the status of a participant in combat operations and was awarded the badge "Veteran of War". With the start of the full-scale war, Oleh again went to defend his native country. From the first day of the invasion, he fought against the occupiers as part of the 120th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At first, he was a platoon driver, and later he took the position of a machine gunner. "We have lost the dearest and most precious person to us, a good, brave, determined, reliable, loving husband and father. With his sincere smile, he will forever remain in our hearts," said the wife of the deceased, Halyna. The defender was buried in his native village. Oleh is survived by his mother, wife, daughter, who was 1.5 months old at the time of his death, sister, niece, family, and friends.