Valentyn I. Ishchenko (Komers)

Soldier Valentin Ishchenko (call sign Komers) was killed on October 17, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Rozdolivka in the Donetsk region. The defender was 54 years old. Valentin was a native of Cherkasy. He graduated from the local secondary school No. 7. He completed his mandatory military service. Then he enrolled at Cherkasy State Technological University, but left his studies after a year to work: initially in business and trade, he worked as a driver and carpenter. Later, he found his calling in construction, which he pursued for the rest of his peaceful life. He worked both in Ukraine and abroad. He had a creative nature and golden hands. He loved fishing and spent his free time with a fishing rod on the Dnieper River. When the full-scale war began, he went to the military enlistment office despite health issues. He was not accepted immediately, but eventually he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He fought in the 4th separate tank brigade named after Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky. He served as a shooter-sanitizer. "Valentin was brave, strong, courageous, honest, just, kind, and sincere. He never hid behind others' backs. He loved life in all its manifestations. He was not afraid of death. 'I am a maximalist,' he said about himself. For him, there were no half-tones: white or black, friend or foe. When the full-scale invasion began, he could not stand aside. From the first days, he volunteered. 'Who, if not me? The young still have life ahead. I don't want the Russian world to come to my home,' were his words. He will forever remain in our hearts as a warmth that warms, an example of sincerity and resilience that inspires," said his civil partner Kateryna Kompaniyets. Valentin was buried at the Heroes' Alley of cemetery No. 4 in his hometown. He is survived by his mother, son, beloved woman, relatives, friends, and comrades.