Oleksandr O. Dezik (Ares)

Artillery commander Oleksandr Dezik (call sign Ares) was killed on May 17, 2022, near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast during a shelling from a "Tochka-U." Two months before his death, the defender turned 24 years old. Oleksandr was born in the city of Horodok in the Khmelnytskyi region. He was raised by his mother and grandparents. He stu at Horodotskyi Lyceum No. 2. He loved the history of Ukraine and was fascinated by mythology. His favorite hero was the god of war Ares. This was also the call sign he had when he later served in the army. He obtained a welding profession at the Yarmolynets Professional Lyceum. He dreamed of obtaining higher education but went for compulsory military service instead. When he returned, he tried to find a good job. However, he then decided to become a serviceman. When the full-scale Russian invasion began, Ares went to defend Ukraine as part of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade named after Hetman Danylo Apostol. He participated in the battles for Bucha in the Kyiv region. Then he went to Poland for training on the use of modern weapons. After that, he went to defend Donbas. The young man never told his mother what was happening at the front. He always said that he was doing well. On April 24, 2022, on Easter, he proposed to his girlfriend Anastasia. The couple planned to get married after the war. However, less than a month later, Oleksandr was killed. The defender was buried at the Alley of Glory in his hometown in the Khmelnytskyi region. Oleksandr is survived by his mother and fiancée. Senior soldier Oleksandr Dezik was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage III degree.