Serhii H. Berehovyi

Biography compiled by Berehova (Kykot) Natalia Georgiivna, sister of Serhii: "Serhii was born on September 25, 1976, in Kyiv and lived his whole life in the capital. He was a boy like any other, attended kindergarten, visited the zoo, cinemas, and the circus. From 1983 to 1991, he studied at general education school No. 144 (now Lyceum No. 144 named after Hryhorii Vashchenko). During his school years, he attended a kickboxing section, along with the legendary Klitschko brothers. After school, he entered and graduated from vocational school (now Kyiv Professional Lyceum of Construction and Phytodesign), obtaining the specialty of a carpenter of the 4th category. He was very diligent and hardworking. As a young man in 1993-1994, he built a settlement in Kyiv together with German and Turkish workers for former servicemen who had served in Germany, which later became known as "Turkish." The Ocean Plaza shopping mall, a gem of Kyiv, was also built by the skilled hands of Serhii, along with many other projects in Kyiv and in the countries of the former CIS. In the winter of 2013 — early 2014, Serhii actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. His brother was a brave and caring person, and when aggression from the Russian Federation began, he did not stand aside from the fate of the country but went as a volunteer to the Armed Forces. When I urged him not to go, Serhii said: "Who, if not us, will stop them?" On September 6, 2014, his military service began. He was very proud of this. After all, he had seen himself as a soldier since childhood, but fate had other plans. On September 22, 2014, Serhii took the position of soldier — deputy commander of the combat vehicle — gunner-operator of the 3rd mechanized section of the 2nd mechanized platoon of the 3rd mechanized company of the 1st mechanized battalion VOS-121100A. From January 25, 2015, to July 14, 2015, he directly participated in the ATO. From January 25, 2015, Serhii's platoon was stationed in the Debaltseve area as a reserve group for cover. On February 6, fierce battles began. Serhii's BMP evacuated the wounded from the battlefield near the village of Ridkodub under heavy fire. From February 7, battles were fought for the village of Lohvynove. Then Serhii's platoon entered the city of Vuhlehirs'k. In early March 2015, the platoon took positions in the town of Luhanske. There were constant mortar shelling and fire from the enemy's small arms. The guys dug in, built bunkers, and fortifications. The military bravely held their positions to maintain them. On June 22, 2015, Serhii was awarded the rank of senior soldier. He valued this rank very much because he knew the price it came at. His brother was a skilled soldier. His inventions helped not only to protect against fire but were also very useful in battle and defense. Serhii's combat comrades could always rely on him. He went into reconnaissance without fear, was reliable, strong, brave, and could always lend a shoulder to a comrade and carry a wounded person from the battlefield. Shortly before his death, a shell hit the BMP, which was near the bunker, the vehicle began to burn, and the flames spread to the bunker where his comrades were. A fire broke out. Calmly, without panic, Serhii began to extinguish the flames and made sure that all the guys from the bunker got out safe and sound. His comrades spoke of his courage, fearlessness, kindness, strength, and wonderful human qualities. On July 14, 2015, Serhii died in the town of Luhanske as a result of a mortar shelling of checkpoint No. 3014 in the ATO zone. His comrade Anatolii Kulinich also died with him. A huge loss for the family, friends, and combat comrades. His mother did not even suspect until the end that her son was at war; Serhii loved and protected her very much, knowing that his mother had a weak heart, so he did not tell her anything. The news of his death was so terrible and unexpected for her that she spent a long time in hospitals, unable to recover from the shock. In Kyiv, on the building where Serhii lived, on Narodnogo Opolchenia Street, a memorial plaque was installed, which was handmade and installed by a friend with whom they worked together — Petro Vitushko. Serhii is buried at the Sovskyi cemetery in Kyiv. The monument was erected by his mother, sister with her husband, his friends, and combat comrades. On August 23, 2015, a monument to the soldiers who died in the ATO was unveiled in Novograd-Volynskyi at the location of the 30th OMBr. Among the names engraved on the granite is the name of senior soldier Berehovyi Serhii Hrihoriyovych. By the decree of the President of Ukraine No. 568/2015 dated October 5, 2015, "for personal courage and high professionalism demonstrated in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath," Serhii was posthumously awarded the Order of "For Courage" III degree. The order was received by his mother at the Solomianskyi RVK. On February 20, 2016, Serhii's mother was awarded the badge "Hero of Kyiv" and a letter of thanks for her son from the community of Kyiv and the NGO "Kyiv Union of ATO Veterans."