Oleksii I. Bevziuk (Mers)

Sergeant Oleksii Bevziuk (call sign Mers) was killed on December 7, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 36 years old. Oleksii was born and lived in Kyiv. He graduated from the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. He was an athlete, public figure, and politician. Since 2014, together with his brother, he has been actively involved in volunteer activities and helping the Ukrainian military. With the start of the full-scale invasion, Oleksii, along with his father Ivan and brother Andrii, joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They fought in the 48th separate rifle battalion of the 72nd mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians. Oleksii held the position of squad commander. He participated in the battles for Kyiv and the region, and later fought in Donbas. On July 26, 2022, in a battle with the enemy near Bakhmut, Andrii Bevziuk, Oleksii's brother, was killed. But Oleksii continued to fight and destroy the enemy until his last breath. "There is no more noble mission than protecting one's people and native land. Service in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not just a profession for us, it is the highest honor and calling," Oleksii wrote on his page a day before his death, on the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "In the battles near Bakhmut, my great friend, mentor, godfather, and a person with a huge heart, Oleksii Bevziuk, was killed. I met you as a university graduate. You gave me a way into the future, supported me for many years, taught me resilience and humanity. You buried your brother and still returned to protect us from the occupiers. For me, you have always been a hero and will remain so for the rest of my life. I christened your child and will support her until the end of my life. Eternal and bright memory to the warrior and hero Oleksii Bevziuk!" wrote Klym Khomenko. "Mers was an extraordinarily strong soldier - smiling, with a sense of humor, optimistic, with an eternal smile and mischief in his eyes. An active public and political figure, a person with whom it was interesting to talk and dream about the country of the future. Unlike hundreds of liars who talk about it from election posters, Oleksii lived it and actively built it. For it, he gave his life. I cannot find the words to describe this loss for all of us. Everything seems artificial and insignificant," wrote his comrade Anton Kolumbet. The warrior was buried at the Berkovetske Cemetery in Kyiv. Oleksii is survived by his parents, wife, two children, relatives, and friends.