Valerii A. Havryliuk (Vertolot)

47-year-old defender Valeriy Havryliuk (call sign Helicopter) was killed on May 27, 2022, during a mortar attack near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Valeriy was born in the village of Poryk, Vinnytsia region. He studied at the local school. Later, he entered a military school. He did not finish his studies, as he was transferred to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He then worked for a long time at "South-West-Shliakhbud". Later, he was a driver at an agricultural enterprise. From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Valeriy went to defend Ukraine. At first, he was in the territorial defense of the city of Khmilnyk, and from April 17, he joined the newly formed 38th separate rifle battalion of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he took the position of a gunner-machine gunner. Since May, he has been carrying out combat missions in the Donetsk region. "Our dad will forever remain in our memory as brave, caring, loving, kind, cheerful, humane, and determined. You are our Hero! The pain of the loss will never fade, we will always remember," said the daughter of the fallen defender. The defender was buried in his native village. Valeriy is survived by his parents, his wife Sophia, daughter Olga, and son Stanislav.