Oleksandr O. Shmatko (Shults)

Sergeant Oleksandr Shmatko (call sign Schulz) was killed on November 11, 2023 near the settlement of Yampil in the Donetsk region. During the performance of a combat mission, he received a fatal mine-explosive injury. The warrior did not live to see his 35th birthday by three days. Oleksandr was born in the city of Horishni Plavni, Poltava region. He graduated from local school No. 5. In 2014, he moved to Poltava. In 2014-2017, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation as part of the then Azov battalion. He was a machine gunner, mortar man, instructor and scout. There he met his future wife. The relationship developed quickly, so the couple soon became parents. After demobilization, the man worked as a painter. He loved sports and military affairs very much. When the full-scale war began, Oleksandr unhesitatingly went to the front, because he had someone to protect - at that time he was already raising three children. At first, he was in the Territorial Defense Forces. He fought as part of the 5th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the 81st Brigade. Later, he joined the National Guard of Ukraine. He served in the 1st Presidential Brigade of the Operational Designation named after Hetman Petro Doroshenko "Bureviy". He held the position of scout in the reconnaissance platoon. Oleksandr was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.