Oleksandr V. Moskaliuk

Oleksandr Vasylovych Moskaliuk was born on February 25, 1963, in the village of Zabolotne, Kryzhopil district, Vinnytsia region, and lived and studied in the village of Pechera, Tulchyn district. He was passionate about sports from childhood. After school, he entered the Odesa Technical School of Food Industry, graduating with honors in 1982, and later worked as a cook in the Black Sea Shipping Company. From November 11, 1982, he served in the Soviet Armed Forces. The young man from Vinnytsia was destined to become one of 10,855 Soviet servicemen who secretly participated in combat operations in Angola. Acting as part of a unit of the Soviet Navy's Marine Corps, Moskaliuk sustained two wounds (gunshot and shrapnel) and three concussions. It is quite possible that Oleksandr participated in an airborne operation, which, according to unconfirmed reports, was carried out by the Soviet command, landing Marine Corps units disguised in the uniforms of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) behind the lines of the rebel group. After being discharged in 1985, he entered the Faculty of Physical Education and Initial Military Training at Vinnytsia Pedagogical Institute. He earned the title of Master of Sports in cross-country skiing and Candidate for Master of Sports in wrestling. In 1988, he got married — his wife, Iryna Ivanivna, graduated from the same institute's history faculty and worked as a history and law teacher at Vernyhorodetska Secondary School. After graduating from the institute, Oleksandr worked as a teacher at Zozulynetska Secondary School but later chose a career in law enforcement: from 1993, he served in the police, working in the Leninsky District Department of Internal Affairs in Vinnytsia. In 1997, he graduated from the Odesa Institute of Internal Affairs with a degree in "Law Enforcement Activities" (part-time), and in 2002, he graduated from the Kyiv National Academy of Ukraine, obtaining a full higher education in "Law" and the qualification of a lawyer. He worked as an operational officer in the criminal investigation department, and from 1997 to 1999, he was the head of the criminal investigation department of the Koziatyn District Police. After retiring, he engaged in legal practice. An honest and decent person, Oleksandr was always the center of attention in any group. Such people are referred to as "personalities"; it was always interesting to be with him. He was knowledgeable and understood people well. He knew many poems. When 51-year-old Oleksandr Vasylovych received a summons from the military commissariat, he decided to go to the ATO, despite having several illnesses, including bronchial asthma. His words resonate in the memory of his relatives: "How can I sit at home when children are dying?" On August 7, 2014, reserve senior lieutenant Moskaliuk was called up for mobilization to the National Guard of Ukraine and appointed deputy commander of the operational assignment company (on armored personnel carriers) for personnel work with the operational assignment battalion of the Vinnytsia National Guard Regiment (military unit 3008). Villagers collected a significant amount of money for the officer, which was used to purchase equipment and a bulletproof vest for him. On October 13, 2014, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, which were guarding and defending checkpoint No. 32 near the village of Smile in Luhansk region, came under heavy shelling from mortars, artillery, tanks, and multiple rocket launchers, and soon the positions of the Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded by pro-Russian militants. During an attempt to break through a column of reinforcements to the checkpoint, an enemy shell pierced the armor of the armored personnel carrier, and the blast wave blew the hatches off the vehicle, throwing two servicemen, including Oleksandr Vasylovych, out of the APC. It later became clear that senior lieutenant Moskaliuk died from multiple shrapnel wounds, while two other soldiers from Vinnytsia went missing, and two were captured. Until October 27, Oleksandr Vasylovych was considered missing; his wife received phone calls from unknown individuals who spoke Russian with a Caucasian accent, offering to buy her husband's body for $20,000. Only when his combat comrades managed to negotiate with the terrorists for the evacuation of the deceased was senior lieutenant Moskaliuk's body taken from the battlefield along with the bodies of the fallen "Aidar" fighters. He was laid to rest on October 31 in his native Vernyhorodka by the entire village community, lowering the coffin into the grave under the State Anthem of Ukraine and a threefold salute. The burial ceremony was attended by representatives of the district and city councils, classmates of the deceased, "self-defense" members, teacher colleagues, and students he once taught, as well as many of his friends and acquaintances — practically all the villagers… As his fellow villagers recalled, Oleksandr Vasylovych always came to help if someone needed it and was not indifferent to people's problems. During the memorial service, the rector of the Church of St. Prophet Elijah of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Father Roman (Masyra), noted: "Worried about mothers, soldiers, and his native Ukraine, Oleksandr did not stay at home but decided to go to war, thus fulfilling God's commandment — to love your neighbor as yourself. In this way, he became an example for our and future generations." For his own children, Oleksandr Vasylovych was always the best father and friend. They always trusted him with secrets and sought his advice. His son Bohdan graduated from Vinnytsia National Technical University, and his daughter Sofia graduated from the State Economic and Technological University of Transport (recognized as the best student of the university in 2015) and the Kyiv National Pedagogical University named after Dragomanov (part-time). "Combat comrades of our father often visit us, speaking many warm words about him. He made his choice, and we could not expect anything else from him. For us, he will always remain a hero," say the children of Oleksandr Moskaliuk.