Oleksandr V. Bondar (Hranit)

34-year-old soldier Oleksandr Bondar (call sign Granit) died on September 16, 2023 near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. While performing his duties, he sustained fatal injuries during enemy artillery shelling. Oleksandr was born in the village of Torchyn, Zhytomyr region. He graduated from the Zhytomyr Vocational School and obtained the profession of an electric gas welder. He lived with his family in the city of Konotop in the Sumy region. In civilian life, he worked at a company that manufactured monuments, polished stone, and granite products. In recent years, he worked in Poland. When the full-scale war began, the man returned to Ukraine to defend its freedom and independence. He served in the 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of deputy commander of the combat vehicle, gunner-operator of the mechanized unit. "It is so difficult to come to terms with the absence of a beloved person who was your life. It is even harder to believe in the reality that you will never see them again. They say that the pain goes away over time. No, it doesn't. You just get used to living with it. The greatest pain that tears the soul and heart is the loss of a dear person. And the worst thing is that we can never turn back time to hug for a moment the irreplaceable person. My Hero! My patriot! You are not by my side, but you are constantly in my heart and my thoughts," wrote the widow of the fallen Yulia Martynenko. The defender was buried in the Alley of Glory of the cemetery in the city of Konotop in the Sumy region. Oleksandr left behind a wife and a child.