Oleksandr A. Fomin (Tor)

Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Fomin (call sign Thor) was killed on September 3, 2022 while performing a combat mission on the outskirts of the village of Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region. After the group moved to the designated area for reconnaissance, around 6:30 am the officer noticed an enemy reconnaissance group. A firefight ensued, as a result of which the enemies were eliminated. However, after that, the occupiers used artillery. Oleksandr ensured the withdrawal of the group by throwing a smoke grenade. Thanks to his courage and dedication, the rest of the group was able to withdraw to the assembly point, but the officer himself received a fatal wound and was killed on the spot. Two weeks earlier, on August 15, he turned 44 years old. Oleksandr was from Dnipro. He studied at school No. 6. He served his conscription in the airborne troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2002, he graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Transport and Economic College, and in 2006 - the State University of Internal Affairs. He received a full higher education in the specialty "Jurisprudence" and obtained the qualification of a lawyer. He then continued to serve the Motherland in the ranks of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, holding the position of a fighter in the assault group, sniper, demolition man of the operational platoon of the interregional special forces unit under the Department of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Total work experience in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine - 19 years. From childhood, he drew well and was engaged in modeling. He sculpted statuettes, made mugs for the military, and then for his comrades-in-arms. Each mug was individual - with call signs and unit insignia. Even at the front, he found time to draw or sculpt something. Oleksandr's works remained on the walls of the Mariupol airport, which he painted in January-February 2022. He was engaged in weightlifting, kettlebell sports, and knew hand-to-hand combat techniques. He loved to read, learn and study something new. He invented and made new devices for sapper work, which helped and help to destroy the enemy. He loved to cook - not only at home, but also at the front, he always surprised his comrades-in-arms with something delicious. He loved music, historical films, was fascinated by Norse mythology. During the full-scale war, Oleksandr fought for his country as part of the Central Territorial Administration of the National Guard of Ukraine. He served in the separate special forces unit "Omega", where he held the position of an officer (sapper) of the 1st special forces group. "Oleksandr was the soul of any company, always cheerful, polite, courteous, calm, balanced, tactical, quick-witted... The best and loving father, husband, son-in-law, son, brother. A faithful comrade-in-arms and friend who always lent a shoulder. He kept his word, always helped. He loved his daughter very much, dreamed of adopting her, even called from the front line and asked me to find out how he could do it. This was his dream that did not come true. The daughter took his surname and patronymic. The last time Sashko came home, he held his daughter's passport and was very proud that she had done this. He was very romantic. While at the front, he ordered flowers for me and our daughter through a courier. We received the last bouquets a few days before his death. He counted the days when he would come home, when he would hug and kiss. Very caring. At home, if any of us was sick, he didn't let us out of bed, treated, cooked, cleaned, washed dishes. He did housework constantly, he said that there is no women's or men's work in the house, there is what a woman should not do, and everything else is common. He loved to watch old movies and listen to songs from the years of our parents. One of our favorite movies is "The Hired Groom". We knew it completely, but watched it again and again. He was tender, kind, bright, caring, loved animals and birds, was always ready to learn. Before his death, on the anniversary of our wedding, he wrote to me from the front line: "Thank you, my dear kitty! I love you very much! And in the next life I will find you and marry you again!". Sashko was, is and remains the best love of my whole life," shared the memories of the fallen warrior's wife Iryna. Oleksandr was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Krasnopilsky cemetery in Dnipro. He is survived by his mother, brother, wife and daughter. The officer was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III degree.