Oleksandr M. Zherdov (Hromkyi)

Sergeant Oleksandr Zherdov (call sign Loud) was killed on July 9, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission in the Donetsk region. Near the city of Siversk, the defender came under enemy artillery fire and received fatal injuries. He was 40 years old. Oleksandr was born in the city of Pervomaysk in the Luhansk region. He graduated from the local vocational school. After completing his military service, he enrolled at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. After completing his studies, he engaged in his favorite activity: building houses, shopping centers, and factories. He participated in the reconstruction of the "Zhovten" cinema. "In his work, Sashko was a master. Subordinates said he was disliked by the top management because he had a keen sense of justice. He always fought to ensure that everything was done according to the rules, so that the management would not offend the workers," says the defender's wife Yulia. In 2014, Oleksandr went to study at the NGO "Ukrainian Legion," always saying that a full-scale invasion would take place, so he wanted to be prepared. On February 24, 2022, when this happened, Oleksandr could have left the country because one of his sons is disabled. But he decided to defend his Homeland. He joined the 112th separate brigade of the territorial defense. He was a squad commander. At first, he took part in the defense of Kyiv and the region, and then went to the Donbas. "When I asked my husband, 'Sashko, you're afraid of blood. How can you go to war?' he replied that his fears no longer mattered. After all, he had to protect his children," Yulia adds. The defender was buried at the Lisovyi Cemetery in Kyiv. Oleksandr left behind a wife and two twin sons.