Oleksandr Ye. Lipilin (Zhovten)

46-year-old junior sergeant Oleksandr Lipilin (call sign October) was killed on February 9, 2023 near the village of Stupochky in the Donetsk region. In battle with the enemy, he suffered a fatal explosive injury. Oleksandr was born in the village of Matyashivka, Poltava region. He studied at the Gogol school. Later he moved to the Kharkiv region. He obtained a higher education at the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. In civilian life, he worked in the delivery sector, at Nova Poshta, and was a driver. He was engaged in making belts and bags, creating beautiful things with his own hands. He also loved to travel by bicycle. He joined the ranks of the defenders on May 24, 2022. He served in the 123rd separate battalion of the 113th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with his comrades-in-arms, he defended the Kharkiv region for 7 months, then went to Bakhmut. The university community remembers Oleksandr as a wonderful person. Always calm and restrained, he carried out his duty with dignity and believed that victory would be ours. According to his comrades-in-arms, Oleksandr was always a reliable friend. "Sasha was a good person who helped others. A loving father who lived for his children and took an active part in their upbringing and development. At the beginning of the invasion, he went to defend the Motherland without hesitation. He could not stand aside, because that's how his parents raised him. He stood unbreakably on the battlefield until the end. Such a man can be proud of, he is an example for our youth," his wife Marina said. The hero was buried in the village of Fesks in the Kharkiv region, where he lived with his family. Oleksandr Lipilin left behind a wife, daughter and son. Posthumously, Oleksandr Lipilin was awarded the Order of Courage III degree. On May 20, 2023, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the facade of the Gogol school in memory of the fallen.