Vadym O. Herasymenko (Ovod)

Paratrooper Vadim Gerasimenko (call sign Ovod) was killed on June 6, 2022, near the village of Bohorodychne in Donetsk region. The fighter blew up on a mine while performing a combat mission. A month before that, on May 7, he turned 40 years old. Vadim Gerasimenko was born in the village of Zmiivka, Kherson region. He received his general secondary education at Zmiivka school. In 2000, he mastered the profession of a meat cutter at Kherson Professional College No. 12. Then he served in the army. From 2004 to 2007, he served under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mykolaiv. He loved to read very much, was fond of the history of Ukraine, knew perfectly the history of his native land and all the cities of Ukraine where he had been at least once. He was also fond of the process of creating knives. In peacetime, he worked in the security service of the Tavria V supermarket chain. In November 2019, the man returned to the army and signed a contract with the 79th Separate Assault Brigade. He went from a private to a senior sergeant. He performed combat missions in the area of the Joint Forces Operation. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, as part of his unit, he continued to defend Ukraine from the occupiers. "Vadim was a person with a capital letter. Incredibly sincere, kind, very fair. He came to the aid of relatives and friends in any situation. He was a brave defender, cheered up his comrades, found words of support for his relatives, no matter how difficult it was," said the deceased's niece, Tetyana Kravchenko. The warrior was buried in the village of Semenivka, Poltava region. Vadim left behind two children, two sisters, other relatives, friends and comrades. Posthumously, Senior Sergeant Vadim Gerasimenko was awarded the Order "For Courage" of the III degree.