Semen S. Berestenko (Semen)

Senior Sergeant Semen Berestenko was killed on August 28, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 43 years old. Semen was born in the village of Olenivka, Odesa region. He lived in the capital. In 2010, he graduated from the Kyiv College of Construction, Architecture and Design, and in 2020 from the Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine". He loved to read and travel. He adored cycling and winter walks in the forest. He went hunting. He was interested in horticulture. During the full-scale Russian invasion, Semen defended Ukraine as part of the 23rd separate rifle battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "He is the best father for my child, the best husband for me. He is our sun, without him our life has become empty. A person of honor and justice, he always told the truth, regardless of who the interlocutor was," said the wife of the fallen Iryna. "In the battle with the cruel aggressor, a loving son, a caring father, a good brother, a worthy friend, and a brave comrade-in-arms perished. Semen Berestenko , bravely defending our state, honorably and with dignity fulfilling his civic and military duty. Until his last breath, he stood for his native land, for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, for his relatives and loved ones, for children, for all of us," said the Zakharivska community. The defender was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Kyiv. Semen is survived by his mother, wife, and three sons.