Ruslan V. Berezhnyi (Maestro)

45-year-old junior sergeant Ruslan Berezhny (call sign Maestro) was killed on March 22, 2022 during an air strike near the village of Sloboda Kukharskaya in Kyiv region. Ruslan was born in Ivano-Frankivsk, studied at a city school. In his teenage years, he moved to the village of Khutir-Budyliv. He lived with his grandfather and grandmother. The boy grew up among books, read a lot, had poetic abilities, and drew well. From a young age, he was seriously interested in music, mainly listening to world rock bands. In the summer, he worked on a collective farm to earn money for a guitar. After school, he entered Ivano-Frankivsk Vocational School No. 13. Then he served in the army. He worked in his native Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as in Kryvyi Rih, but creativity prevailed in his life. Ruslan chose the romantic fate of a wandering musician-guitarist, who traveled around Ukraine, giving people honest music and songs. He loved to play on the streets and in the parks of Chernivtsi, Kolomyia, Sniatyn the most. In 2006, he left for Great Britain. In 2014, Junior Sergeant Ruslan Berezhny firmly decided to go and defend his native Ukraine. Without hesitation, he exchanged his peaceful guitar for a weapon. He volunteered for the 5th Battalion of the Territorial Defense "Prykarpattia" in Delyatyn. Later he transferred to serve in the 15th Battalion of the 128th Mountain Infantry Brigade. He was a rifleman and grenadier. He was demobilized in the fall of 2015, made life plans, dreamed of changes for his native country. He took an active part in public life. He collaborated with the Sniatyn Union of ATO Veterans. He tried himself as a proofreader of the magazine "Holos Pokuttia", was interested in publishing projects. On the morning of February 24, 2022, Ruslan, without waiting for a summons from the military registration and enlistment office, returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces on the first day of the full-scale invasion. The man became a fighter of the 109th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade. He took part in the defense of the Kyiv region. The defender was buried in the village of Khutir-Budyliv in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.