Oleksandr A. Li (Muzykant)

Olexandr Anatoliyovych Li was born on January 18, 1993, in the city of Dobropillya, Donetsk region. He received his education at Dobropillya Educational Complex No. 4. He loved music very much, wrote songs himself, and recorded several compositions. He attended the "Word of Life" church, where he met and began a friendship with his future wife, Eleonora. After finishing school, he enrolled in the "Word of Life" Bible Institute in Donetsk. He completed it in two years and then joined the army, serving in Lviv. After demobilization, he returned to Dobropillya, where he started working in a mine. Later, he moved to Donetsk and got a job as a manager in a company. He dreamed of becoming a journalist, so after the Russian invasion in 2014, he returned to Dobropillya, where he filmed reports about the situation in the area. In Dobropillya, he decided to join the "Carpathian Sich" battalion, where he became a sniper. Together with his comrades, he defended Donetsk airport. In 2015, he was wounded and lost a finger on his left hand. In 2016, he left the army because he wanted to try living a civilian life. He married his beloved Eleonora, and they moved to the UAE together. There, he worked as a barista and later as a restaurant manager. However, Olexandr was always drawn back to war. To improve his skills, he attended military courses at an international academy in Poland. After that, he decided to return to Ukraine and join the "Azov" regiment. A few days before the full-scale war, Olexandr was already in barracks mode. On February 22, 2022, he said goodbye to his wife and sent her home to Dobropillya. That was the last time the couple saw each other. From the first days of the invasion, Olexandr defended the city of Mariupol. He held the position of a machine gunner's assistant in the reconnaissance unit. He maintained contact with his wife by phone until March 5. After that, there was no communication with him. On March 10, 2022, Olexandr was killed. Seven months later, during a body exchange, the body of the fallen soldier was returned home. On March 2, 2023, Olexandr Li's body was cremated at Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv. In Dobropillya, a street was renamed in honor of Olexandr Li. In many cities of Donetsk region, including Dobropillya, posters and billboards with the biography of the defender of Ukraine were displayed.