Serhii A. Mutruk (Katok)

Senior Soldier Serhii Mutriuk (call sign Katok) was killed on July 3, 2023, while carrying out a combat mission in the area of the village of Ivanivske in the Donetsk region. The defender was 39 years old. Serhii was born in the village of Veselynove, Mykolaiv region. After finishing school, he obtained the profession of an electric welder, and later - a construction climber. He was a general worker. Before the war, he worked two jobs simultaneously: in the agricultural and security sectors. On the second day of the full-scale invasion, on February 25, 2022, the man joined the ranks of the defenders. He served in the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of squad commander of the engineering reconnaissance platoon of the engineering and sapper company of the engineering support group. As early as the beginning of March, he took part in the defense of the Mykolaiv region, in particular the city of Voznesensk. Later, he went to fight for Izium in the Kharkiv region. He was wounded twice. And finally, he found himself with his comrades-in-arms in the Bakhmut direction in the Donetsk region, where he fought his last battle. On October 4, 2022, he was awarded the honorary badge "Cross of the Brave". "This is a brave person with a free soul. He was a true warrior, a man of his word, a man of courage, an example of indomitability and strength of spirit," said Iryna Yatsyla, a fellow villager of the fallen. The defender was buried in his native village. At home, Serhii was awaited by his parents and two sons.