Oleksii M. Movchan (Tin)

Oleksiy Movchan (call sign "Shadow), the commander of a volunteer formation "OUN" unit, was killed on May 1, 2022, in the village of Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk region. That day, together with his comrades-in-arms, he saved 11 civilians from the rubble. They were successfully evacuated to a safe place through a mined road. Enemy drones were constantly flying over the warriors' heads, and sabotage and reconnaissance groups were active. In close combat with the enemy, Oleksiy sustained fatal injuries. He would have turned 49 on May 25. Oleksiy was born in Kyiv into a military family. After finishing school, he enrolled in Vocational Technical School No. 20 in the capital, where he obtained the profession of a plasterer-modeler of architectural details. In 1998, he graduated from the National Transport University, receiving a degree in mechanical engineering. During his military service, he participated in the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and held the position of a military intelligence squad leader. After demobilization, he worked as a driver for a private company, having 25 years of experience. He was very passionate about his work and loved cars and motorcycles, being able to talk about them for hours. He was a skilled handyman who could repair anything. He also enjoyed sports. In 2014-2016, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Oleksiy's wife, Yulia, met him in 2007 when she was substituting for her sister in a kiosk, and Oleksiy came there with a friend to have coffee. He asked her which chocolate was the most delicious and then paid for it and gave it to her. They dated for a few months, then stopped, but resumed their relationship four years later. Since 2016, they have been very close and inseparable. They decided to get married on August 18, 2018. Oleksiy was a true husband, and Yulia felt like a queen by his side. He often gave her flowers, always offered his hand when she was getting out of transport, and confessed his love to her. On his last birthday in 2021, he surprised her by taking her to a meadow with daisies and telling her that it was the place where he always picked flowers for her. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oleksiy was engaged in combat and military training at the NGO "Patriot - Defender of the Motherland." On March 23, he joined the 25th battalion "OUN" as a volunteer from the Kyiv territorial community. He defended the city and the region until the occupants were driven out. His comrades-in-arms remember Oleksiy as an excellent commander, a wonderful comrade-in-arms, charismatic, positive, and a true leader. Yulia saw her beloved for the last time on April 19, 2022, in Kyiv. She could not have imagined that she was saying goodbye to her husband forever, that those were their final embraces. The hero was buried in the Alley of Honorary Burials at the Lisy Cemetry in Kyiv. Oleksiy is survived by his wife, mother, brother, three sisters, a son and a daughter from his wife's first marriage, and a stepfather. After Oleksiy's death, his wife Yulia initiated the creation of a mural dedicated to all the volunteers who was killed defending Ukraine. Thanks to the compassion of people who sent funds, Yulia was able to raise the necessary amount. The thematic mural was created in Kyiv at the address: 4 Anna Akhmatova Street.