Serhii M. Zelenko (Zhuravel)

Senior Soldier Serhii Zelenko (call sign Zhuravl) was killed on July 18, 2023 near the settlement of Novosilske in the Luhansk region. During the performance of a combat mission, he received fatal injuries as a result of enemy mortar shelling. The following month, on August 22, the defender would have turned 37 years old. Serhii was born in the village of Monastyryshche, Chernihiv region. He graduated from the local school. Then he obtained the profession of a welder at the Nizhyn Vocational School. He served in the military. He worked as a general laborer. In his free time, he loved to read. During the full-scale war, in February 2023, the man was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Serhii served in the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. He was the commander of a rifle squad. "Serhii honorably and with dignity fulfilled his duty as a citizen of Ukraine, a patriot defending his state. Until his last breath, he remained faithful to his comrades-in-arms and his Motherland. I am proud of my brother, the nephew - the father, the mother - the son, his courage and strength of spirit. Not everyone can, looking death in the eye, stand shoulder to shoulder with comrades, not fearing for their lives, save others and bravely fight for the freedom of their country," wrote the sister of the fallen Olha Zelenko. The military was buried in his native village. Serhii is survived by his mother Hanna, sisters Olha and Yuliia, brothers Volodymyr, Mykola and Oleh, and son Dmytro.