Oleksandr O. Starov (Staryi)

Born on June 28, 1979, in the village of Husarivka, Balakliia District, Kharkiv Oblast, in a family of a serviceman. Later, he moved with his family to the urban-type settlement of Hostomel in the Irpin City Council of Kyiv Oblast. He graduated from Irpin Secondary School No. 14 (urban-type settlement of Hostomel). He served his mandatory military service in the Airborne Troops of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the winter of 2013-2014, he was at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv, where he was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity. In 2014, he was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 2nd company of the 25th Territorial Defense Battalion "Kyiv Rus" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit field post V0676). Since the summer of 2014, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. His call sign was "Old Man." He was wounded twice. On September 21, 2014, a checkpoint near the city of Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast, where sergeant Starov was serving, was attacked by Russian militants. The terrorists shelled the checkpoint with mortars and small arms. During the attack, sergeant Starov was killed. Senior soldier Mykhailo Koval also died with him. On September 24, 2014, he was buried in the cemetery of the city of Bucha, Kyiv Oblast.