Serhii P. Volikov (Volia)

Defender Serhiy Volikov (call sign Volya) was killed on October 20, 2023 during enemy artillery shelling near the village of Makiivka, Luhansk region. He did not live to see his 26th birthday by 6 days. Serhiy was born in the village of Avhustynivka, Zaporizhzhia region. After finishing secondary school, he worked as a lathe operator. Teachers, friends, relatives, and fellow villagers remember him as a sincere, kind, and always smiling person. They say he was the life of the party. In the first days of the full-scale war, Serhiy joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, holding the position of a machine gun section gunner in a mechanized battalion. He underwent training in England and Poland. He conscientiously carried out combat missions and remained loyal to his oath until the end. "Young, handsome, 25 years old, full of plans for life. We ask you to remember at what cost we are given a relatively peaceful and calm life on our native land, at the cost of unfulfilled dreams of such young men. Eternal memory and honor to the Hero!" - wrote the deceased's sister Iryna. The defender was buried in his native village. Serhiy is survived by his mother, sister, and twin nieces.