Roman I. Chornii (Shelest)

Soldier Roman Chornii (call sign Shelest) was killed on November 8, 2023, on the territory of the Serebryansk forestry, in the area of the village of Dibrova in the Luhansk region. He received a fatal gunshot wound during the assault on enemy positions. The warrior was forever 22 years old. Roman was born in the village of Ostriv, Lviv region. He lived in the village of Luky. He received his higher education at the Lviv Forestry University, studying "Furniture Technologies". However, he dreamed and planned to master military affairs in the future in order to defend Ukraine, which he loved above all else. During his student years, he was an active participant in the S-14 movement in Lviv, where he conducted anti-drug activities, and was a participant in many actions in support of the Ukrainian language and decommunization. When the full-scale invasion began, Roman was a 4th-year student, but voluntarily took up the defense of the Motherland. He joined the ranks of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov". He held the position of a grenade launcher. "Roman was a passionate patriot of Ukraine since his school years, the Ukrainian language and culture were of great importance to him, he always preferred products of Ukrainian manufacturers. It seems that patriotism was in his blood, from his ancestors. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he was looking for opportunities to go to war, but he was not taken anywhere, since he was a student. This did not stop him, and in mid-April Roman was already accepted into Azov. He went voluntarily to defend the Motherland, ready to give his life for the freedom of Ukraine. We, his relatives, remember Romchik as an extraordinarily sincere, intelligent, cheerful, fair and a little naive guy, always ready to help. His friends valued him for his dedication, and it seems he had no enemies. His comrades-in-arms remember Shelest as an incredibly brave warrior who approached the most dangerous tasks with enthusiasm. He always took part in voluntary sorties, going one of the first. He never complained about anything, he always had "Everything is okay" and a sincere smile on his face. Boundless love for Ukraine, hatred for the invaders, faith in victory and a strong Ukraine - this is what Roman fought for until his last breath..." - his godmother Oksana Khomut said. "He loved Ukraine more than his mother," - the words of his mother Oksana. "This is a great loss for the Ukrainian nation, because this person was ideological, a true nationalist, there are few of them left... Shelest did not need money, fame... He did his job at the call of his heart!" - said his comrade-in-arms Sviat. The defender was buried in the village of Luky, Lviv region. Roman is survived by his parents, younger sister, relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms. The hero was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.