Oleksandr V. Shekhovtsov

Lieutenant Alexander Shekhovtsov was killed in action on March 8, 2022, in a battle with the enemy in the vicinity of the village of Staryi Saltiv, near Kharkiv. The officer's life was cut short by enemy artillery fire. A month before that, on February 2, the defender turned 23. Alexander was from the city of Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr region. From childhood, he was a professional athlete and had many awards for participating in competitions. He stu at school No. 8 and then entered the Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy in Lviv. After graduation, the young officer was sent to serve in the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine in a military unit in Kharkiv. Initially, he served in unit 2020 as a tank platoon commander. Shortly before the full-scale invasion, the unit was disbanded, so Alexander was transferred to the 3rd Special Operations Brigade named after Colonel Petro Bolbochan (unit 3017). There he headed an operational platoon of the operational company on vehicles. On February 24, 2022, together with his comrades, he defended Kharkiv and heroically fought until his last breath. "I am proud of my son. His surviving subordinates say that he taught them a lot and was an example for everyone," said Nina Shekhovtsova. The young officer was buried in the village of Yarun in the Zhytomyr region. At home, Alexander was awaited by his mother and sister. Posthumously, Alexander Shekhovtsov was awarded the Order of Courage, 3rd class.