Oleksandr M. Horytskyi

Oleksandr Mykhailovych Horytskyi was born on February 24, 1984, in the village of Dobryanka in the Chernihiv region. From 1991 to 2001, he studied at Dobryanka Secondary School I-III degrees. After completing his education, he served in the army. In 2004, he enrolled in the Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine," which he graduated from in 2009, earning a degree in "Economics and Entrepreneurship." Since his native village Dobryanka is located on the border with Belarus, Oleksandr decided not to seek happiness far from his parental home but to stay and live and work there. In 2005, he joined the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, where he served for 17 years, holding various positions, including passport control inspector at the checkpoints "Hornostayivka" and "Novyi Yarylovychy." For his conscientious performance of official duties, Oleksandr was awarded the medal "10 years of the Border Guard Service of Ukraine." He attended school with his future wife Iryna, and in 2006, they got married. At that time, Iryna was studying at Nizhyn State Pedagogical University. In 2008, the couple welcomed their first son, Dmytro, and 11 years later, their younger son, Tykhyn, whom his father eagerly awaited. The young couple settled in Dobryanka, in a small house that they gradually expanded and renovated. Since the beginning of the war in 2014, the overwhelming majority of border guards from the Chernihiv detachment participated in the ATO in the eastern part of the country. From 2018 to 2019, Oleksandr served in the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. It was difficult to endure this time; his wife cried many tears, and the children missed him, but everything ended happily: the husband returned home alive. Years flew by, and the children grew up. Iryna worked as a teacher in a kindergarten, while Oleksandr spent his free time building and repairing his own car. He could do everything by himself and dreamed of building a home for his sons in Chernihiv, wanting to leave as much as possible for his children. He adored fishing and loved to go mushroom picking with his eldest son. And what delicious dinners he could prepare! He always surprised with some original dish. On that day, February 24, 2022, Oleksandr Mykhailovych was supposed to finish his shift and go home to rest, but an order came to retreat to Chernihiv. Enemies were already surrounding the famous city from all sides. Oleksandr, together with his combat comrades, defended Chernihiv until the last moment. On the day of his death, February 26, the border guard himself was giving instructions over the phone to his wife and children on how to protect themselves from shelling. He did not intend to hide, only said, "Pray for me." After that, he did not make contact again... Oleksandr Horytskyi was killed in a battle with an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group on the outskirts of Chernihiv.