Oleksandr M. Plakhuta (Salman)

41-year-old paratrooper Oleksandr Plakhuta (call sign Plakh) was killed on January 19, 2023 near the village of Serebrjanka in the Donetsk region. The soldier suffered a fatal shrapnel wound while carrying out a combat mission. Oleksandr was a native of the city of Shostka in the Sumy region. He graduated from the Shostka Chemical and Technological College named after Ivan Kozhedub. He then obtained three higher education degrees: in electrical engineering from the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, in law from the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, and then studied at the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. He loved cycling, traveling around Ukraine, studying the history of Ukraine, and visiting local museums in every city. He adored reading, mostly historical and documentary books. Before the invasion, he worked in Kyiv as a lead engineer at NEC Ukrenergo. In 2015-2016, he participated in the ATO. So with the start of the full-scale war, as a veteran, he returned to the army. Oleksandr defended his country in the ranks of the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a reconnaissance machine gunner. In 2023, he was awarded the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's "Steel Cross" award for the liberation of the Kharkiv region. "My brother was the fairest person in the world, my best friend. Intolerant of lies. Purposeful, courageous, brave, reliable. He could have achieved a lot and done a lot of good for our country. But he chose the path of a warrior. I wanted people to remember the huge price we pay for preserving Ukraine. So that Sashko's words, which he often said, would come true: 'Our sacrifices will not be in vain,'" said Natalia Mamchur. The warrior was buried on the Alley of Heroes in his native Shostka. Posthumously, soldier Oleksandr Plakhuta was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.