Stepan V. Nikolaevych

Soldier Stepan Nikolaevich was killed on December 31, 2022, in battle for the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region. The defender received a fatal shrapnel wound and blast injury. A week before this, on December 24, he turned 30 years old. Stepan was born in the village of Prosykuriany, Chernivtsi region. He stuwas killed at the Hlyboka secondary school. Then, at the Hlyboka vocational school, he obtained the profession of tractor-machine operator for agricultural production and a repair mechanic. In civilian life, he worked on construction sites abroad. He joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in June 2022. He underwent training and became a fighter of the 24th separate mechanized brigade named after King Danylo. He held the position of a rifleman-medic. "My husband was a very good person. He always wanted to help others. He was always smiling and cheerful, everyone loved and respected him. He was a very good dad for our daughter, the best husband for me. When the war started, he was abroad, working and doing everything to make us happy. He said: 'I can't sit here, there's a war in Ukraine, and I'm here. I'm going to defend you from the enemy.' He came and on the third day he went voluntarily to the military enlistment office, passed the medical examination and after two months went to Lviv - there he underwent training. Then they were sent to the Kherson region, and in October - to Donetsk, near the city of Soledar. There he served for 3 months and did not return home. We love him very much and miss him. He is forever in our hearts and thoughts. A person with a big heart..." said Kristina Nikolaevich. Stepan was buried in the village of Hlyboka, Chernivtsi region. He is survived by his mother, brothers, sisters, wife and daughter. The soldier was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree. In February 2023, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the facade of the Hlyboka gymnasium in memory of the fallen graduate.