Vadym M. Kutovyi (Vudi)

Senior soldier Vadym Kutovyi (call sign Woody) was killed on March 9, 2023 in the village of Bilohorivka, Donetsk region. That day around 5 p.m. he went out to the position for the last time. Without reaching the village, he reported by radio that the area was mined. He was ordered to return back with the group. An enemy drone spotted the movement of the defenders, and shelling began. The defender received a fatal shrapnel wound to the heart. Before his death, he managed to cover his comrade. Vadym was born in the village of Teterіvka, Cherkasy region. His parents abandoned him at the age of 2, so the boy was raised by his grandmother Vira Arsenivna. From an early age, Vadym was kind, hardworking and responsible. He loved animals. After school, he obtained the profession of electric gas welder and driver at the Zhashkiv Agrarian and Technical Vocational Lyceum. In 2012, he was drafted into military service in the 3002nd unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. He took part in the ATO. In 2016, he was transferred to the 46th Special Purpose Battalion "Donbas-Ukraine". He was seriously wounded in the battle near Marinka in the Donetsk region. After treatment, he returned to the front. He took an active part in the fighting in the Luhansk region. He was awarded the badge "For Exemplary Service" for the fact that during an enemy tank shelling, when almost everyone hid, he and his comrade started a fight so as not to surrender the position. During his service, Vadym met his future wife, combat medic Olena. The couple married in 2016. When their daughter Anastasia was born the following year, Vadym left the service. He worked as a mason in construction. He built a house in the village of Vovchynets in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. In memory of the fearless warrior, an oak tree named Vadym is now growing there. When the full-scale invasion began, Vadym joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ivano-Frankivsk. At the beginning of 2023, he voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as part of the 109th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade. He was an operator-gunner, deputy commander of a combat vehicle. He carried out combat missions near Bakhmut. "Vadym always stood on the side of truth and justice. He had a very fiery character, a fire. He was never afraid of anything, always went forward. He had the qualities of a true Hero. As long as we remember Vadym's feat, he lives among us..." - wrote his wife Olena Kutova. During his service, Vadym was awarded the medal "For the Defense of the Homeland", and posthumously - the medal "For Honor and Valor" and the Order of Courage of the III degree. The defender was buried in the Alley of Glory in the village of Chukalіvka, Ivano-Frankivsk region. Vadym is survived by his wife Olena, daughters Olha, Oleksandra and Anastasia.