Taras V. Tishchenko

39-year-old soldier Taras Tishchenko was killed on August 1, 2022, near the village of Ruska Lozova in the Kharkiv region. His unit repelled the invaders' attack and was checking the forest where the enemy had been located before. At one of the exits, the soldier triggered a mine. Taras was born and lived in Kharkiv. He obtained a higher education in economics from the National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute." He worked in various places, mostly with an engineering focus. He was well-versed in computers and various microchips. He also worked for a private company in Kharkiv that dealt with wireless internet. When the company closed, he took on various jobs. In particular, he was an employee of LLC "Nova Poshta." He was passionate about gardening, breeding, and landscape design. He constantly experimented. Recently, he had been growing blueberries. When the full-scale war began, he joined the local Territorial Defense Forces to protect his city and country from the enemy. He served in the 127th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a shooter. "He had another great love — a small Chihuahua dog named Dasha. Taras was an extremely responsible person, bright and honest. He went to the military enlistment office with his friend and received a referral to the territorial defense of Kharkiv. Eventually, the territorial defense units were integrated into the Armed Forces, and Taras found himself on the front lines, where he performed various important combat tasks. In May, he sustained significant injuries to his arms and legs, lying in a hospital in Kharkiv, then in the Kyiv region. And at the end of June, he went back to the front," said the wife of the fallen soldier. The defender was buried in his hometown. Taras is survived by his wife.