Pavlo I. Podolei

Soldier Pavlo Podoley died in the hospital on August 8, 2024, from multiple wounds sustained during enemy artillery shelling. When it seemed the man was recovering, he suffered internal bleeding. The defender was forever 40 years old. Pavlo was born in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia. He was one of seven children in a priest's family. From a young age, his father involved him in church rituals. After school, Pavlo went to study at the Mukachevo Theological School. He became a deacon and was assigned to the village of Chereivtsi near Mukachevo. After a few years, he rose to the rank of archpriest. Most of Pavlo's life was devoted to the church and family. In his free time, he loved to read, especially spiritual literature. He enjoyed going to the forest to pick mushrooms with his father and older son. He was strict, fair, restrained, and did not express emotions in public. In July 2022, Pavlo started working at "Nova Poshta" to improve his family's well-being, without leaving his service in the church. He was drafted as an ordinary soldier at the end of March 2023. After training, as part of the 101st separate brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces, he carried out combat missions in the Kupiansk direction. He received the status of a combat participant and the "War Veteran" badge. "He shared his feelings, told about the terrible things the guys were experiencing there. In essence, he was not only a warrior, but also an unofficial spiritual father and psychologist. The guys would come to him, tell him their pains, and he would give them advice, help them stay morally strong, and seek support in God," said the warrior's wife, Maryana. In July 2024, during an artillery barrage, Pavlo sustained severe internal organ injuries. He spent a long time in the hospital in Zaporizhia. He began to recover, and it seemed the threat to his life had passed. "He was sent for a medical commission, they were going to discharge him. He even called 'Nova Poshta' to ask if they would take him back. But he unexpectedly died from internal bleeding caused by the injury," Maryana said. The defender was buried in his native Mukachevo. Pavlo left behind a wife, two sons, and his family.