Serhii I. Khavanskykh (Kovboi)

Sergeant Serhii Khavanski (call sign Cowboy) was killed at night on July 29, 2022, in Olenivka, Donetsk region. The Russian army committed a war crime and blew up the barracks where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held. Serhii was 37 years old. He was born in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region. A year before the full-scale war, he lived a civilian life, but remained a reservist of the Azov regiment. Prior to that, he served in the radio reconnaissance department. He founded his own business - he was engaged in 3D modeling and 3D printing. In 2021, he married his beloved Aryna. "Serhii modeled in a special engineering program, and then printed pistols, blasters, and assault rifles from various computer games on a 3D printer. Mostly his products were in demand among Americans. I inherited a 3D printer from my beloved. And this gave me the impetus to continue Serhii's business. I have been printing for the army for some time now," Aryna, his wife, said. The couple had a cat at home, which they had found on the shore of the Azov Sea. They also thought about expanding the family. They loved trips to the Kamyana Mohyla nature reserve, where they secluded themselves from everyone. They ate pizza or shawarma and enjoyed the beauty of the Ukrainian steppe. On the morning of February 24, 2022, Serhii gathered his things and went to help his comrades-in-arms in Mariupol. He went through fierce battles. When it became known about the captivity, he believed that he would be exchanged... In January 2023, Serhii's brother and mother submitted a DNA sample, in May they received the first DNA match, and in June - the second. The warrior's body was cremated on June 1, 2024, in Kyiv. Serhii is survived by his wife, mother, brother, and other relatives. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage III degree.