Vadym S. Ihnatchenko (Banan)

Soldier Vadym Ihnatchenko (call sign Banana) was killed on August 23, 2023, in battle with the occupiers in the area of the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region. The warrior was 25 years old. Vadym was born and lived in Zaporizhzhia. He graduated from school No. 108. Then he obtained the profession of an electrician at the Zaporizhia Construction Center of Vocational Education. He worked at the Zaporizhstal plant. During the full-scale Russian invasion, the man joined the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. He served in the 14th Brigade of Operational Designation. He was a rifleman - assistant gunner of the operational designation company (on armored personnel carriers) of the operational designation battalion. "He was a very bright and sociable person. He could always help with both words and deeds. Together with him, we went to defend our country from the first days of the war. We liberated Vremivka and Neskuchne in the Donetsk region. Then, when the counteroffensive began in the Zaporizhia region, we immediately returned to our native Zaporizhia. He was a true hero, without fear and hesitation, and was killed as a Hero of Ukraine," said his comrade-in-arms and close friend Mykhailo Mykhailov. "He was a courageous and strong person. He was always the first to go into battle," said his brother Danylo Ihnatchenko. The National Guard soldier was buried in the cemetery of St. Nicholas in his hometown. Vadym is survived by his grandmother, younger brother, relatives, close friends, and comrades-in-arms.