Oleksandr O. Chupylko (Shunia)

Staff Sergeant Oleksandr Chupylko was killed on March 26, 2022 in Mariupol, Donetsk region. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he carried out combat missions in the area of the Azovstal plant together with his comrades-in-arms. There he received fatal injuries. The warrior was 46 years old. Oleksandr was born in the village of Mylove in the Kherson region. After finishing the 11th grade, he decided to enter the Faculty of Agronomy of the Kakhovka State Agrarian Technical School. After studying for one course, he went to serve in the army for two years in the airborne troops. Returning home, he continued his studies at the technical school. In 2002, he moved to live in Mariupol. There he joined the military unit 3057 and worked in various units. In 2003, Oleksandr met his future wife Iryna, who had just moved to Mariupol. The couple started dating and got married three years later. In 2007, Oleksandr and Iryna had a son. "Sasha was a very reliable and calm man. A good father," recalls his wife Iryna Chupylko. "I also have a daughter from my first marriage, and she immediately started calling him dad, even though he was not her biological father." The man was fond of football, was physically developed and kept himself in good shape. He participated in various competitions, in particular, he represented his military unit in football matches. In 2014, Oleksandr Chupylko took part in the liberation of Mariupol from Russian invaders. On February 24, 2022, he went to the military unit early in the morning and never returned home. The defender's wife had no news of her husband's fate for two years. She hoped for the best, believing that he was alive. But in March 2024, she received information about a DNA match. The warrior was buried in his native village in the Kherson region. Oleksandr Chupylko was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.