Vasyl (Ivan) M. Mykhaniuk

Born on January 20, 1968, in the village of Ridkivtsi, Novoselytsia district, Chernivtsi region. Graduated from the secondary school in the village of Ridkivtsi. Served mandatory military service in the 35th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Troops of the Armed Forces of the USSR (military unit 16407, city of Cottbus, German Democratic Republic - as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany). From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, served in the internal affairs bodies of the Chernivtsi region. Since the 1990s, engaged in business, working abroad for earnings. In November-December 2004, was an active participant in the Orange Revolution. In the winter of 2013-2014, was on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv, where he was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity. On January 28, 2015, was mobilized as a volunteer into the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Novoselytsia District Military Commissariat of the Chernivtsi region. Served as a shooter-number of the crew of the 3rd Air Assault Company of the 1st Air Assault Battalion of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the High Mobility Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit A0281, city of Zhytomyr). Since the spring of 2015, participated in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. On May 5, 2015, Sergeant Mykhaniuk was killed near the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, during the movement of personnel to replace the observation post of the battalion tactical group when the armored personnel carrier he was in was blown up by a mine planted by terrorists. Along with him, soldier Mykola Martyniuk, soldier Yaroslav Mialkin, and soldier Oleksandr Shchurov were killed. On May 10, 2015, he was buried in the cemetery of the village of Ridkivtsi, Novoselytsia district, Chernivtsi region.