Roman V. Rusnyk (Rumun)

Rusnyk Roman Vasylovych was born on July 29, 1998, in the village of Luh, Zakarpattia region. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a military man. After finishing the 9th grade in 2013, Roman entered the Mukachevo Military Lyceum with enhanced military-physical training named after the Hero of the Red Field. After graduating from the lyceum, he entered the National Academy of Land Forces named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi. In 2020, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). He held the position of commander of the fire support company of military unit A-1778. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Senior Lieutenant Roman Rusnyk and his unit defended the outskirts of the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region. On March 9, 2022, noticing a Russian reconnaissance and sabotage group near his positions, Roman, leading one squad, moved in that direction and destroyed the enemy with small arms fire. After that, he remained at the reclaimed position for further reconnaissance. The Russians sent an entire platoon to the battlefield, and our soldiers met them with fire, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. However, as the forces were unequal, Roman Rusnyk ordered the squad to retreat while he stayed behind to cover his comrades with fire. He effectively continued the fight with the enemy alone, drawing their fire onto himself. The first soldiers of the squad, who successfully withdrew, immediately contacted the armored group, which rushed to their aid and neutralized the Russians. Some of the enemies were destroyed, while others fled. Unfortunately, during the battle, Senior Lieutenant Roman Rusnyk was killed. He covered his comrades' retreat until the last moment, sacrificing his own life for them. On March 14, 2022, Roman Rusnyk was buried in his native village of Luh. He is survived by his mother, sister, and wife, who is a military medic.