Taras V. Kuba (Kastro)

Sergeant Taras Kuba (call sign Castro) died on September 15, 2022 near the village of Bezimenne in the Kherson region. While carrying out a combat mission, he came under enemy fire and sustained fatal injuries. A month earlier, on August 6, the defender would have turned 25 years old. Taras was born in the city of Starokostiantyniv, Khmilnytskyi region. He had dreamed of being a soldier since childhood. He studied at the Kamianets-Podilskyi College, majoring in Accounting. He then graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University. In January 2021, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the ranks of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo. He participated in the Joint Forces Operation. Taras met the full-scale invasion on the front lines of the Luhansk region. During the difficult defense of Popasna, he sustained two concussions. In the summer, the unit was redeployed, after which the soldier ended up in a rifle battalion. Later, he went with his comrades-in-arms to defend the South. "He was the only son in the family. He was everything to us, the reason we lived. He was courageous, purposeful, positive and bright. In difficult situations, he knew how to support others. His comrades-in-arms called him their positive one," said the mother of the fallen Oksana. The warrior was buried in his hometown. Taras left behind his parents and a daughter. Taras Kuba was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree and the medal of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Cross of the Hero".