Oleksandr M. Rusavskyi (Rusia)

National Guard soldier Oleksandr Rusavskyi (call sign Rusia) was killed on October 3, 2023 in the Zaporizhzhia direction as a result of small arms fire and enemy mortar shelling. The soldier received fatal injuries while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Verbove. The defender was 26 years old. Oleksandr was born in Vinnytsia. He graduated from school No. 31 there. From an early age he was interested in boxing and achieved considerable success in this sport. He obtained two higher educations: at the Vinnytsia National Technical University (specialty "Construction and Civil Engineering) and at the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine (specialty "Ensuring state security by NGU units). Before the service, he worked in construction. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr defended the capital. Then he took part in battles in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions. He commanded a mortar battery of the 3rd operational battalion of the 14th assault brigade of the NGU "Chervona Kalyna". "I will never forget our last meeting... On the eve of his departure to the combat zone, my brother came to us - played with his nephew, sat down, as if he felt that he would not come here again... I will forever remember him as cheerful, caring, fair and sensitive. He was the one with whom I would go through fire and water," wrote Yana Yaremenko, the cousin of the fallen. "My love and pride. He was extremely caring - on the first day of the full-scale invasion, he called and firmly asked to leave with the children for their safety. Smiling, kind, sincere, decent, purposeful. Decisive and confident in decision-making," added his godmother and aunt Natalia Nadkernycha. The defender was buried on the Alley of Glory of the Sabarivske cemetery. Oleksandr is survived by his mother, brother, fiancée, aunt, and cousins. The hero was posthumously awarded the rank of captain.