Oleh Yu. Betsa

33-year-old junior sergeant Oleh Betsa was killed on September 12, 2022 near the village of Myroliubivka in the Kherson region. During the Kherson counteroffensive, an enemy tank hit the BMP that Oleh was commanding. For over 1.5 years, the hero was considered missing, and only in July 2023 did the evacuation teams manage to find the remains of the bodies belonging to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the battlefield. 19 months after the death of the soldier, his relatives were informed that the identified remains belonged to Oleh and his comrade-in-arms. Oleh was born in the city of Berehove, Zakarpattia region. After finishing school, he served in the military court of the Lviv garrison. Since 2014, he voluntarily participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) / Joint Forces Operation (JFO). He initially served in the ranks of the "Bears" battalion, which later became part of the 24th Brigade, then in the National Guard and the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. He was discharged in 2019. He dreamed of a family and a peaceful life, but the invasion of the occupiers on February 24, 2022 prompted him to return to the army. On March 12, 2022, Oleh, as part of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, went to the Zaporizhzhia region. He independently decided to join the 1st Mountain Assault Battalion, as his comrades from 2014 were there. He held the position of BMP gunner. On May 14, 2022, he was wounded during the assault in the area of the village of Vyshnevе, Zaporizhzhia region. On August 15, after treatment and rehabilitation, he returned to the front, telling his relatives that he could not leave his comrades-in-arms. During his entire service, the soldier received many awards, including "For Participation in the ATO", "For Participation in the Parade for Independence Day of Ukraine 2017", and the medal "Defender of the Fatherland". Posthumously, he was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree. "Oleh was incredibly brave, curious, and sincerely loved the military profession. He practically never talked about the war and his work. When we last saw him, he was returning to the front after rehabilitation and said he was needed by his comrades-in-arms. Unfortunately, almost all of those he had in mind was killed in the battles for the Kherson region," his sister Yevheniia said. "Oleh was an incredibly brave, cheerful, and humane guy. He fought since 2014. He is one of those mega-brave warriors of the 128th Brigade, on whom the new Armed Forces of Ukraine should be built. But it is such heroes who perish," added his comrade-in-arms Ivan Beletskyi. The military was buried on the Alley of Heroes in his hometown. Oleh is survived by his mother, sister, beloved, relatives, friends, and comrades-in-arms.