Oleksii V. Penkivskyi (Vyshyvanka)

33-year-old soldier Oleksii Penkivskyi (call sign Vyshyvanka) was killed on November 16, 2023 in the Bakhmut area in Donetsk region. When he and his comrade were evacuating a wounded officer from the battlefield, the enemy resumed shelling, as a result of which the soldier received fatal wounds. Oleksii was from the city of Berdychiv in Zhytomyr region. He graduated from the Zhytomyr Economic and Humanitarian Institute of the University of Ukraine, receiving a degree in rehabilitation. For some time, he worked at Nova Poshta, and before the invasion, he was a welder at a factory in Lithuania. After the start of the full-scale war, the man returned to his homeland and in September 2022 joined the airborne assault troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After training, he became a combat medic in the 77th separate airmobile brigade. Together with his comrades, he defended Soledar and Bakhmut in Donetsk region. "The news of the start of the full-scale aggression caught Oleksii in Lithuania. He could have waited out the war in safety. He didn't want to. He wanted to return to his homeland and fight the enemy. He had to go to the district recruitment and social support center to volunteer, but immediately after arriving, he received a summons. Eternal memory and honor to you, Hero! Honor!" - wrote in the Berdychiv community. The paratrooper was buried in his hometown. Oleksii is survived by his mother.