Vadym S. Zeleniuk (Zelia)

Vadym Serhiyovych Zeneliuk was born on June 10, 1988, in the city of Krasyliv, Khmelnytskyi region. Even in his school years, Vadym stood out among his classmates for his sincerity and openness, his readiness to help, his moral resilience, and he always had his own point of view which he could defend. From a young age, the boy was fascinated by martial arts—judo and sambo, training at a local children's sports school. In 2006, he won a bronze medal at the junior championship of Ukraine in judo, and that same year he enrolled in the Faculty of Internal Troops at the Kyiv National University of Internal Affairs. After graduating in 2010, the newly minted lieutenant Zeneliuk was assigned to the elite special purpose and anti-terrorism unit "Omega," but later the command noticed his sports achievements and abilities, and he became a professional military athlete. Among Vadym's achievements are the title of Master of Sports in sambo and Candidate Master of Sports in judo, as well as titles of winner and prize-winner at national championships, European and world cups, including becoming the European champion in a relatively young sport—universal combat. In 2013, Vadym Zeneliuk took third place in the weight category up to 68 kg at the World Combat Sambo Championship. In the spring of 2014, after the start of the undeclared war, he repeatedly performed service-combat tasks in the area of the ATO / JFO, and after February 24, 2022, sports instructor of the first category Major Zeneliuk, like most of his colleagues from the National Guard sports club, joined the combat units of the National Guard. Vadym returned to his native "Omega" unit and initially stopped the enemy at the approaches to the capital, and later in the Izium direction and in the city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk region. In Kyiv region, Vadym acted as part of a reconnaissance group and was among the first to move along the route. Thanks to a well-thought-out action plan and the coherence of the scouts, who remained unnoticed by the enemy, they managed to gather a lot of valuable information: enemy patrols, observation posts, and a command post were detected, and the exact coordinates of a concentration of 24 units of armored vehicles were identified, which the scouts immediately reported to the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The group, which included Vadym, opened a safe route, and soon the front line shifted by 12 kilometers to the village of Buzova. Colleagues recall that in the Izium direction, Major Zeneliuk demonstrated exceptional courage by participating in the rescue of a seriously wounded serviceman from the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade, who had been in a deserted position surrounded by the enemy for three days, and in destroying 4 units of armored vehicles and a significant number of infantry in one of the settlements, after which the enemy lost any initiative to continue the offensive. The officer fought bravely during fierce battles for Sievierodonetsk, particularly participating in a striking operation in June to seize the administrative building of the local auto repair plant, when, thanks to the professionalism of the National Guard special forces, six Russian soldiers were captured, which not only increased the "exchange fund" but also provided information about the enemy’s forces and means that contributed to the successful conduct of the counteroffensive. From the beginning of July, Vadym was part of the group applying the Stugna anti-tank missile system and conducted reconnaissance of the terrain in the "gray zone" in the Donetsk direction almost daily, selecting convenient positions. On July 22, 2022, Major Zeneliuk was awarded the medal "For Military Service to Ukraine" — the highest status among Ukrainian medals. On August 22, 2022, at the approaches to the city of Avdiivka, near the village of Krasnohorivka, the "Omega" special forces received an urgent task: to repel the enemy's assault actions and secure designated positions. Two shots from the NLAW anti-tank missile system destroyed two enemy BMPs along with their crews, but the invaders stubbornly continued their attack. Vadym Zeneliuk was one of the first to advance to meet the superior enemy forces and entered into battle, with the National Guardsmen pushing further and further, destroying the enemy. During the movement, covering his comrades, Major Zeneliuk sustained a gunshot wound but continued to advance and fire. The group came under mortar fire, which was adjusted by enemy aerial reconnaissance. When they were just a few meters from the enemy's position, Vadym sustained a fatal shrapnel wound… The heroic actions of his comrade inspired the servicemen, and the enemy was destroyed. On August 26, Vadym Zeneliuk was commemorated in the Holy Trinity Church, and after the civil funeral service in the center of Krasyliv, in Independence Square, the fallen officer was buried in the cemetery of the village of Pylypy Khmelnytskyi district. When Major Vadym Zeneliuk was honored with military honors on his last journey through the streets of his hometown, a lifetime combat award and several dozen sports medals were carried in front of his coffin. Krasyliv, along with the relatives and comrades of the fallen officer, bid farewell to a person who was the glory and pride of the entire community, an example of two successful careers—military and sports. The fallen hero is survived by his parents and sister. For personal courage and heroism displayed in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and loyalty to the military oath, Major Vadym Serhiyovych Zeneliuk was posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine" with the Order of the Golden Star. On October 1-2, a judo championship dedicated to the memory of Vadym Zeneliuk took place in Khmelnytskyi, with about 100 young athletes participating, and the honorable guests included the relatives and battle comrades of Vadym Serhiyovych. The organizers plan to hold this tournament annually.