Valentyn V. Zahorodnii

Born on February 2, 1982, in the village of Kozhukivka, Vasylkiv District, Kyiv Oblast. Graduated from the general education school in the village of Kozhukivka. Served mandatory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2014, he was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Initially served in the 25th Territorial Defense Battalion "Kyiv Rus" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit field post V0676), then as a mortar commander of the 2nd mortar section of the mortar platoon of the fire support company of the 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit A1778, city of Mukacheve, Zakarpattia Oblast). Since the fall of 2014, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. On July 14, 2015, soldier Zahorodny died while performing tasks to check the reliability of mine fortifications near the Ukrainian-Russian border near the village of Bolotene, Stanytsia Luhanska District, Luhansk Oblast, having detonated an explosive device with a tripwire. Along with him, Captain Serhiy Melymuka, Senior Lieutenant Mykola Mykhailishyn, Senior Soldier Yuriy Babko, and Soldier Vadym Sytnikov were killed. On July 17, 2015, he was buried in the cemetery of the village of Kozhukivka, Vasylkiv District, Kyiv Oblast.