Oleksandr I. Shchyhotskyi (Chornyi)

34-year-old soldier Oleksandr Shchihotskyi (call sign Chornyi) was killed on November 11, 2022, near the village of Ozaryanivka in Donetsk Oblast. While performing his official duties, he sustained a fatal shrapnel wound to the head as a result of enemy shelling. Oleksandr was born in the Zakarpattia region. He lived in the village of Kamianyi Brid in Zhytomyr Oblast. He graduated from the Holovyn Professional College. He was engaged in polishing stone for monuments and also developed his own business. In 2014-2015, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. With the onset of the full-scale invasion, on May 10, 2022, he was drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi. Since October, he held the position of a number of the motorized infantry squad. Together with his brothers-in-arms, he defended Donetsk Oblast. “My brother was a man of word, honor, and respect. He loved to do everything neatly and fairly. He was confident in life and achieved a lot. He would not pass by someone else's grief. He was a good dad, friend, comrade, and the best brother sent by God himself. He raised us alone from a young age, as we became orphans early, so he was our support and foundation. Without him, every day is emptiness and pain,” wrote the deceased's sister, Liudmyla Draha. The defender was buried in the village of Kamianyi Brid in Zhytomyr Oblast. Oleksandr is survived by a brother, a sister, a child, relatives, close ones, friends, and comrades.