Oleksandr M. Pavlenko

47-year-old senior sergeant Oleksandr Pavlenko was killed on December 14, 2022 near the village of Vodiane in the Donetsk region. While carrying out a combat mission, the soldier received fatal injuries during an enemy mortar attack. Oleksandr was born in the village of Novoselytsia, Cherkasy region. Immediately after graduating from the Novoselytsia secondary school, he went to serve in the army. When he returned, he worked in a forestry, was a driver of a logging truck. He worked abroad for some time. He was passionate about cars and machinery. He participated in the ATO in Donbas. During the full-scale war, the man took up arms again to defend Ukraine from the invaders. He fought as part of the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakov Handziuk. He was a grenade launcher. "My uncle was a very strong, courageous and kind person. During his life, he had to get out of many difficult situations... He was afraid of no one and nothing. He defended the country and his relatives, because he considered it his duty. First - the ATO, then - the war. 9 months of struggle: Kherson, Mykolaiv, Bakhmut... He knew it was the end point, although we did not believe and do not believe... I remember how my uncle came home for a few days in the fall, just when the rains were falling, it was cold. It was warm in the house and he was lying on the bed, thinking about something. And then he said to his mother: "How are my guys at the front line? In those trenches, wet, dirty, cold? And I'm here, in a warm house." He lived with his comrades-in-arms, he couldn't leave them. How many 200s, 300s they pulled out, they didn't want to leave anyone behind. He often talked about it. But why didn't they manage to save him? We still repeat: we can't believe it, and we won't believe it..." - said the deceased's niece Vita. Oleksandr was buried in his native village. The defender left behind his mother, children, relatives and friends.