Oleksandr V. Honcharuk

Combat medic Oleksandr Honcharuk was killed in action on May 12, 2022, in Luhansk region while saving soldiers. During a mortar shelling, he was applying a splint to a comrade and managed to shield him with his body from a shell. Oleksandr participated in the Revolution of Dignity, where he was injured. In civilian life, he worked in the IT sector, engaged in sports, and traveled extensively. He lived in Kyiv. When the Russians attacked Ukraine, he immediately took up arms and joined the territorial defense of the capital. "On February 26, my son was supposed to fly to America for work, but he canceled the trip and went to defend Kyiv, even though he had never served in the military. And when the occupiers were pushed back from Kyiv, Oleksandr went to defend all of Ukraine," said the hero's father, Vasyl Honcharuk. "Successful, self-sufficient, calm, and even a bit phlegmatic. An avid traveler, he managed to visit places I had only planned to go to. A patriot not just in words, he had his own annual rituals and was a supporter of traditions: he painted his last Easter eggs during his rotation," said historian and friend of the fallen hero Oleksandr Zinchenko at the funeral. "A well-rounded person, he was interested in everything, a patriot. History, languages, and everything related to statehood," said the soldier's sister, Anna. "Ukrainians do not surrender to Muscovites," were the last words of Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Honcharuk, as his comrades recount. Oleksandr was buried near his mother's grave. He is survived by his father and sister.