Vasyl A. Borodenko (Vaska)

32-year-old Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) fighter Vasyl Borodenko was killed on November 3, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission in the area of the village of Torske in the Luhansk region. Vasyl was born in the village of Skolobiv, Zhytomyr region. He completed 9 grades at Stepanivska secondary school. From an early age, he was positive, well-mannered, smart, and cheerful. He obtained the profession of an auto mechanic at the Zhytomyr Technical College and studied at the Kyiv Police Training College. When the Russian-Ukrainian war began in 2014, Vasyl went to defend Ukraine. He went through Ilovaisk, was wounded, and was taken prisoner, from which he was released in a prisoner exchange. In the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Vasyl was in Fastiv, Kyiv region. The veteran immediately went to the military enlistment office and joined the ranks of the 208th separate battalion of the Territorial Defense Forces "Fastiv". He was a rifleman. "Our community is in mourning. Our hearts are crying. The damned orcs are destroying the flower of the nation. Vasyl Borodenko. 32 years old... A real man, Cossack, patriot, Hero," said the Yemilchyne settlement council. "In eternal sorrow today is the family of our defender and the whole community. Bowing their heads, everyone whispered a quiet farewell prayer, and almost everyone held flowers, flowers that could be given on Victory Day... This terrible misfortune does not leave our territories - we wait with fear for a new day every time. May our fellow countrymen remain in our hearts forever... Eternal honor and gratitude for their service... May the earth be soft for them," wrote fellow villager Lyubov Kuriata. "Dear nephew, eternal memory to you, rest in peace. Eternal memory to the Hero," wrote the aunt of the deceased, Olga. The defender was buried in the village of Yemilchyne, Zhytomyr region. Vasyl is survived by his mother, sister, and nephews.