Oleksandr V. Vasyliev (Sashyk)

A 32-year-old senior lieutenant, Oleksandr Vasyliev, was killed in action on March 27, 2022, while defending the Mykolaiv region from occupiers. His unit came under fire from phosphorus shells near the village of Blahodatne. Oleksandr was from the city of Pryluky in the Chernihiv region. After serving in the army, he became a professional soldier. He graduated with honors from the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy. He participated in the ATO/OOS in Donbas. He served in the ranks of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Roman. He lived with his family in the city of Rivne. He met his future wife in 2014. He went to a funeral for his comrade and met his sister, Victoria, there. He proposed to her two weeks later. The following summer, their daughter, Irina, was born to the couple. From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Oleksandr defended his homeland from the occupiers. He participated in battles in the Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions. "Nobody would think that we have been married for 7 years. Sometimes they said that we were not like others, behaving like children. But we always had adventures and romance. The moments spent together were filled with incredible energy. We exchanged it. I could not even argue with Oleksandr because we would laugh at each other afterwards. He was a real man. He could easily wash dishes and clean up. Irina would do his manicure, pedicure, and even makeup. He would endure it all. They would do crazy things together. I remember how she made him do gymnastics. He even agreed to do the splits because his little girl asked him to," said the officer's wife, Victoria. The officer was buried in his hometown. Oleksandr left behind his parents, wife, and daughter, Irina. The girl, who was 6 years old at the time of her father's death, decided to continue his cause - to defend Ukraine. She is currently engaged in volunteer work. She sells hand-woven wreaths and donates the proceeds to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Posthumously, senior lieutenant Oleksandr Vasyliev was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree. He was also granted the title of Honorary Citizen of the city of Rivne. A street in the city was named in his honor.