Oleksandr L. Kotenko (Kit)

Oleksandr Leonidovych Kotenko was born on October 23, 1971, in the city of Haisyn, Vinnytsia Oblast. After graduating from school in 1988, he enrolled in Vinnytsia Vocational Technical School No. 11, where he trained as a lathe operator. Later, he was drafted into the army, serving in Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Upon returning home, he worked at local enterprises. He met his future wife in 1998. In 2001, the couple got married, and in 2002, they welcomed a daughter. In 2013, Oleksandr Kotenko actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity. From 2014 to 2015, he took part in combat operations in the Anti-Terrorist Operation / Joint Forces Operation. In June 2014, he volunteered to serve in the 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar," where he was injured in the leg after a month. After recuperating, he returned to service, but in 2015, his health deteriorated, with heart pain and rising blood pressure, which led to Oleksandr's demobilization. He was granted a III group disability. Since 2015 and until the full-scale Russian invasion, he engaged in volunteering, delivering aid to the East with friends. With the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he participated in the battle for Mykolaiv. He was killed on March 7, 2022, in Mykolaiv Oblast while repelling attacks. Oleksandr was buried on March 10, 2022, at the cemetery in Haisyn. He is survived by his mother, wife, daughter, and granddaughter.