Vasyl P. Pelysh

27-year-old Vasyl Pelysh died on September 18, 2022, in a hospital in Dnipro from injuries sustained the day before in Donetsk region. The defender became known after, in 2014, militants cut off his arm with a trident tattoo while he was in captivity. Vasyl was born in the town of Staryi Sambir in the Lviv region. He graduated from Lviv National Agrarian University, obtaining a degree in land management. In his free time, he enjoyed fishing. He participated in the Revolution of Dignity, after which he joined the ranks of the Aidar battalion and went to war. On August 26, 2014, during one of the battles, 19-year-old Vasyl sustained serious injuries and was captured by terrorists. One of them noticed the trident tattoo and the inscription "Glory to Ukraine" on Pelysh's right arm. This enraged him, and he severed the young man's arm almost to the shoulder with an axe. After a month in captivity, Vasyl was exchanged and returned home. After treatment, Vasyl worked as a military accountant at the Starosambir City Council. With the help of a Canadian-Ukrainian program, he received a prosthetic arm, which had the coat of arms of Ukraine tattooed on it. He was also involved in volunteer activities. In 2016, Pelysh was awarded the Order of Courage III degree. After the start of the full-scale invasion, Vasyl went back to defend Ukraine. On September 17, 2022, he sustained a serious head injury near the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region while delivering supplies to his comrades at their position. The next day, Vasyl was killed in the hospital. "He was only 27. He left behind a young wife. He did so much for Ukraine in his short life. When he returned from captivity, I remember giving him a loaf of bread and flowers with my classmate Natalia. The boy, a few years older than us... All these years, Vasyl reminded everyone with his presence that we are at war," said the defender's friend Maria. The serviceman was buried in his hometown in the Lviv region. Vasyl is survived by his parents, grandmother, and wife