Serhii M. Mashyna (Matvii)

32-year-old Junior Sergeant Serhii Mashyna (call sign Matvii) was killed on September 11, 2023, in a battle near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region. The defender sustained fatal shrapnel wounds during enemy shelling. Serhii was born in the village of Musiyky, Kyiv region. In 2013, he graduated from the Nemishaieve Professional College of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and obtained a degree in agronomy technology. Agronomy was his greatest passion, so he worked in his profession and pursued his beloved occupation. On February 24, 2022, the man was mobilized into the ranks of the defenders. After joining the 114th Territorial Defense Brigade, he took the position of a sniper rifleman in the 134th Battalion. Together with his comrades, he defended the Kyiv region. In June 2023, Serhii transferred to the same position in the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Mahura" and went to the Zaporizhzhia direction. When he called his relatives, he never complained, on the contrary, he supported them and promised to return home victorious. "He was always interested only in agronomy. He loved his work and spent a lot of time there. At home, he also worked in the garden. He wanted to return home to his daughter the most. He is the kind of person who never refuses anyone. Even if he doesn't know how to do something, he will think it through and still help people. He has a very kind soul. I want my daughter to be proud of him because he is truly a Hero. His comrades saw in him a purposeful, courageous, kind, and strong man whom one can rely on. He was always ready to go on the assault," said the wife of the fallen Nataliia. The defender was buried in his native village. At home, Serhii was awaited by his mother, sisters, brothers, wife, and a 3-year-old daughter at the time of his death.