Serhii S. Petrenko (Bashnia)

25-year-old Serhii Petrenko (call sign Bashnia) was killed on July 29, 2022, in the temporarily occupied settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk region during an explosion in a barracks with prisoners, the defenders of Mariupol. A shrapnel fragment hit the soldier in the neck, causing instant death. Serhii Petrenko was born in Kharkiv but grew up in Kyiv, where his parents moved. He was involved in football from childhood. In adulthood, he became interested in crossfit. The young man independently studied the English language, read military and historical literature in the original language, and wanted to engage in translations. However, he went to study at the Faculty of Economics of the Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman. In his third year, in 2017, he joined the "Azov" regiment. He completed his studies remotely. In the unit, he was an instructor at the military school named after Yevhen Konovalets, training recruits for service. And with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he defended Mariupol. Serhii Petrenko, together with his comrades-in-arms, destroyed dozens of enemy tanks and hundreds of units of the enemy's manpower. In March, he was wounded in the leg and underwent treatment on the territory of the Azovstal plant. Even in such a state, he was eager to fight. For his merits, the warrior was promoted to the rank of junior lieutenant. In May 2022, the defenders of Mariupol left the Azovstal plant in Russian captivity. About 200 defenders were delivered to the colony in Olenivka. Among them was Serhii Petrenko. He did not live to see his 26th birthday by just a month. "Serhii was a light in the darkest of times, whom people followed. That's what he became for all his comrades-in-arms and for me. And he was also the most disciplined person who inspired others," recalls his beloved girlfriend Olha. Serhii Petrenko's body was returned home on October 11, 2022. A year later, after additional examinations, on November 14, 2023, the warrior was able to be farewelled at the Kyiv crematorium. In December, a memorial plaque was installed at the Lukianivske Cemetery, where the ashes of Bashnia are stored. The warrior is survived by his parents, younger brother and sister, and his beloved girlfriend. Serhii Petrenko was posthumously promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant.