Valerii V. Kuzheliuk (Spirt)

48-year-old senior soldier Valeriy Kuzhelyuk (call sign Spirit) was killed on September 10, 2022, during an assault operation by his unit near the village of Male Vesele in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian defenders fell into an ambush. Valeriy was last seen when he was pulling out an injured comrade. Valeriy was born in the city of Lutsk. He obtained a higher education in mechanical engineering at Lutsk National Technical University. He worked at LLC "ART-ESPRESSO," repairing and adjusting coffee machines. In his spare time, he enjoyed sports and fishing. He defended the country from the first days of the full-scale war. He served as a shooter-paramedic in the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade. "There is no one like dad, and there will never be. They took a piece of my soul. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. Honest, fair, the life of the party, kind, wise… He should still be living and playing with his grandchildren, but it was not meant to be," wrote his daughter Anna Dmytruk. The defender was buried in the military cemetery of the village of Harazhdzha near Lutsk. Valeriy is survived by his wife, daughter, brother, parents, and two grandchildren. Posthumously, senior soldier Valeriy Kuzhelyuk was awarded the "Prince's Cross of the Hero 'Forever in the Ranks.'"