Serhii O. Kantser (Kania)

A 38-year-old sergeant, Serhii Kantsur (call sign Kania), was killed on April 8, 2022, near the village of Novotoshkivske, Luhansk region. A shell exploded next to him, the defender received multiple shrapnel wounds. His comrades were unable to carry his body from the battlefield. Serhii was born in the city of Kirovohrad (now the city of Kropyvnytskyi). He received a cook's education at the Kirovohrad Professional Lyceum of the Sphere of Services and Trade. However, he worked as a sales consultant in household appliance stores and loved to fish in his free time. In 2014, the man was mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At first, he fought in the composition of the 40th battalion, and then under contract in the 57th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Koshovyi Otaman Kost Gordienko. He participated in the battles for Debaltseve. On January 24, 2022, Serhii's contract ended, and the man signed it again. When the full-scale war began exactly one month later, the man was already at the front line. On April 7, he managed to call his wife Yulia for the last time. "He called me in the morning and asked, 'How are you, my dear?' That's how he loved to call me. We spoke very little, there was no connection. The next morning, I woke up and felt very heavy in my soul, I wanted to cry, there was a lump in my throat. At 12:00, the wife of his comrade called me, and after her words, 'I don't know how to tell you this...', I understood everything, my husband is no longer with us," Serhii's wife said. Since Serhii's body remained in Luhansk region, relatives were able to obtain a death certificate through the court. They hope to be able to bury their hero in their hometown in the future. "I'll say one thing, I lost my soul... He was always positive, had many acquaintances, friends... As he used to say, 'To be a warrior means to live forever,'" added Yulia Kantsur. At home, Serhii was awaited by his parents, wife, son, and daughter.