Serhii S. Bilousov (Kozak)

Scout Serhiy Biloisov (call sign Kozak) was killed on April 17, 2022, near the village of Zavody in the Kharkiv region. The 36-year-old defender sustained severe shrapnel wounds due to the explosion of an enemy mine. Serhiy was born in Donetsk. He obtained a profession as a baker at a local technical school. He worked as a sales manager in the construction services sector. In his free time, he loved to cook — not just food, but dishes that, as his wife noted, “you enjoy every bite of, where all your taste receptors are satisfied.” He also loved fishing, nature, and watching the sunrise and sunset. After the occupation of his hometown, Serhiy moved to Kyiv in 2015. He sold construction materials and also carried out roofing work on various projects and insulated houses. He had his own team and worked with them on these projects. After the onset of the full-scale war, he decided to defend Ukraine. He knew his family would try to dissuade him, so he went out to buy flour for his grandmother's pancakes but ended up at the military recruitment office. He returned home saying that he had to do it, that there was no turning back, and that he needed to fight. He became a scout machine gunner. On that day, April 17, Serhiy was wounded in the abdomen and face, losing his right eye and leg. When he was evacuated to the hospital, he was conscious and provided his family's number, asking them to be informed of his death. In the hospital, doctors restarted his heart three times, but it ultimately stopped. “Serhiy loved to love everyone and everything: family, work, friends, the sky, the sunset. How did Serhiy make the decision to defend his homeland? We are internally displaced persons; in 2014, we left everything in Donetsk and simply fled. Over time, we set up our lives, but the enemies crossed the borders of our state. Serhiy made a resolute decision to protect his family and country...,” his wife Yuliya recounted. Kozak was buried at the Lisove Cemetery in Kyiv. Serhiy is survived by his wife, son, parents, brother, grandmother, and aunt. Soldier Serhiy Biloisov was posthumously awarded the Order of “For Courage” of the III degree.