Sviatoslav O. Kovshykov (Sviat)

Soldier Svyatoslav Kovshikov (call sign Svyat) was killed on July 20, 2023 near the village of Oleksandro-Shultyne in the Donetsk region. While carrying out a combat mission, he came under enemy mortar fire and sustained an explosive injury. He was evacuated in time, but the defender died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. A month earlier, on June 21, he turned 29 years old. Svyatoslav was born in the city of Berdyansk, Zaporizhia region. He graduated from the local school No. 16. Then he studied at the philological faculty of the Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, but did not graduate. In 2015, he moved to Kyiv, where he worked in construction. He loved to read, play football and travel. In 2023, the man joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 401st separate rifle battalion. He held the position of a grenadier. "He was sensitive, educated, erudite, sociable, fluent in three languages, wrote poems, translated in verse, had a great sense of humor. He adored football, was a great goalkeeper. A wonderful son and friend. He loved his family very much, so when his hometown was occupied, he went to the front as a volunteer so that Ukraine would be free. All without exception," said the mother of the fallen warrior, Olga Ivanovna. Svyatoslav is survived by his mother Olga, brother Valery and grandmother Svetlana Artemovna.