Valerii O. Honta (Honta)

On May 21, 2022, "cyborg" Valeriy Honta was killed in Donbas. In the area of the "Bakhmut - Lysychansk" highway, where active fighting was taking place, a shell hit, resulting in Valeriy's pelvis being shattered; he a few minutes later. Valeriy Honta found himself in the war back in 2014, volunteering for the conflict in Donbas. He was not accepted at the military enlistment office due to his health condition, as he had suffered from bronchial asthma in childhood. He then joined the "Right Sector" and found himself at the front in July 2014. He participated in battles for the village of Pisky and Donetsk airport. In 2016, he signed a contract and joined the 1st Battalion of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade. At that time, he took part in battles at the Svitlodarsk Bulge, for which he was awarded the Order of Courage III class. The serviceman sustained severe injuries, deafness, closed traumatic brain injury, and severe polycystic liver and kidney disease. At the end of 2016, he returned home and continued his treatment. However, with the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, Honta went to the front and served in the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Roman the Great. "I love my Motherland, my children, my wife, my father, and mother. But God protect me from encountering enemy scoundrels! For I do not know the limits of my anger for my brothers and Ukraine!" — one of the last posts on the hero's social media page. The soldier was buried in his hometown of Kovel. Valeriy is survived by his wife Lyubov and two sons: Vladislav and Oleksandr.