Valentyn M. Pototskyi (Ben)

Sergeant Valentin Pototskyi (call sign Ben) was killed on June 26, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Verkhnokamyanske in the Donetsk region. The warrior was forever 26 years old. Valentin was born and lived in Zaporizhzhia. He graduated from the Zaporizhzhia Construction Center of Vocational Education. He served his military service. Later, he earned a living through repairs and worked on suspended ceilings. He had many plans for his life. He dreamed of traveling, having his own family, and children. In his free time, he loved to play football and go fishing. When the full-scale war began, the man immediately decided that he had to go and defend Ukraine from the enemy. Despite the fact that his relatives were against it, he secretly joined the ranks of the Ukrainian defenders. He served in the 111th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a squad commander. As part of his unit, Ben defended the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. "He had various hobbies. He took his nephews and went to play football with them and his friends. He went fishing with his sister and her husband. Or he just walked with friends. He really liked to go ice skating in the winter. Not far from our house there is a mound where everyone sledded, and he loved that very much. He was very cheerful and easygoing, his friends never got bored with him! He really loved to be the center of attention," said the fallen warrior's mother, Svitlana. The defender was buried in the St. Nicholas Cemetery in his native Zaporizhzhia. At home, Valentin was awaited by his mother, sister, and nephews.