Vasyl V. Semaniuk

In a modest and hardworking family, Vasyl Vasylovych was the middle child of three, growing up as a loving and caring son. From a young age, he showed himself to be a creative person, excelling in school, which he graduated from in 1996. Later, he obtained a carpenter's specialty in artistic furniture production at the Higher Art Professional School No. 3 in Ivano-Frankivsk (this profession remained his passion — he made quite a few pieces of furniture at home by himself). Subsequently, he was drafted for mandatory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which he served from December 16, 1997, to June 11, 1999, in a marine infantry unit of the Navy, stationed in the Crimean city of Feodosia. He participated in joint exercises with U.S. Marines, parachuted, mastered weaponry, hand-to-hand combat techniques, and survival skills in extreme conditions. After being discharged, Vasyl chose a career in law enforcement and from October 2000 served in the internal affairs bodies: he successfully completed the initial training course at the Chernivtsi School of Professional Training for Police Officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Chernivtsi Oblast, and later underwent a rigorous selection process. From March 2001, he held positions as a policeman and a police driver in the separate rapid response police company "Berkut" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. In 2010, he graduated from the private higher educational institution "Halytska Academy" with a degree in computer engineering and was appointed as an inspector — duty officer of the special purpose police company "Berkut" at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (since March 2014 — special police company of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast). Relatives say that Vasyl attracted people with his kindness and sincerity, like a magnet. Disciplined, hardworking, balanced, polite, and a reliable friend — this is how he was remembered in the unit where Vasyl Semanyuk dedicated over 13 years of service. He participated for more than a month in the anti-terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine. Oksana Dmytrivna Semanyuk, Vasyl's mother: "We were very proud of our son, we were happy when he received promotions. Vasyl started his service in 'Berkut' as a senior sergeant, then became an officer. In 2001, he got married, and he and his wife Anya lived with her parents, raising their daughter Nastya, dreaming of their own apartment. We lost the most precious thing — may God protect every family from this. Vasyl could have refused that assignment, but he went, hiding it from us and his father — he was worried about us because I am ill, and his father, Vasyl Prokopovych, had a stroke five years ago. By the way, I remember that at that time, Vasyl's colleagues contributed money for his treatment, and our son took care of his father, being around him like a small child: he did massages, trimmed his nails. When he came from Ivano-Frankivsk, he helped me with everything around the house. He never sat idle for a moment; everything burned in his hands…" Anna Myroslavivna Semanyuk, Vasyl's wife: "We lived very well with Vasyl, we were drawn to each other. I understood the peculiarities of his work, which he truly loved. Early in our life together, the unit commander Anatoliy Petrovych Bas invited me for a talk — he explained that the work in 'Berkut' is specific, complicated, and dangerous, and advised me to support my husband in every way, not to quarrel when he was not home. So, although it was hard to be home alone on New Year's and other holidays at first, I knew what I was getting into when I married a policeman. And Vasyl never brought home work problems — we had a taboo on that topic… A year after our marriage, we had a son, but he died a month and ten days later from a congenital defect. We endured this grief together, and later we had Nastya — and it was easier to overcome the pain of losing our firstborn than now, when we are grieving the loss of a husband and father. I thought I had already carried my cross… Vasyl cared a lot for us, his daughter and me. We didn't have the opportunity to go on vacation; on weekends, we often went to the village to help our parents. We thought our life would be long and happy… The last time our whole family went to Nyzhniy Velesnytsia for Easter 2014 — we visited her parents and relatives. The next day, Vasyl was on duty. I went for a walk in the city with the child when suddenly my husband called and asked me to urgently pack his things because he had to go on a business trip to Kharkiv Oblast, to Izium. I walked home as if in a fog, I didn't remember how I packed the bag, as I knew from the news on TV what horrors were happening in the East, in the ATO area. Later, I was reproached for letting my husband go, for not stopping him. He would not have listened to me anyway, but what mood would he have left with? So I wanted to see him off as warmly as possible, so he would feel that he would be awaited at home. We prayed for him all the time… On May 25, Vasyl called, inquired about the results of the presidential elections. When I told him that the president was elected in the first round, he was happy, saying that maybe the war would end sooner. Later, in one of our conversations, he said: on June 4, he would return home. Hearing his voice — I needed that every day. I would call him on my way to work, and in the evening before bed, we would connect again. If Vasyl didn't answer, I would immediately panic and start calling his colleagues. On the morning of May 29, I called, and he told me: 'Anya, I can't talk right now, we are moving, we'll talk later.' I thought: I'll call again in the evening, but at noon, his brother called, saying that Vasyl's number was unavailable, and his guys' too… I graduated from the Ivano-Frankivsk Medical College and work as a midwife in a women's consultation. Work helps me cope with grief. If I were sitting at home, it would probably be much harder. At work, someone shares a story, someone shares their success. All day long, I forget about my troubles. And at home, my daughter is waiting for me to do homework together. The school knows that Nastya's dad is a hero; they support her a lot. But children are different. One boy once told my daughter: you don't have a dad, now no one will protect you. The teacher found out about this, made a remark in class, saying why say such things — but this so upset Nastya that she cried the whole lesson and recess, she couldn't calm down… I will remember all my life how we celebrated our daughter's tenth birthday. When we were deciding in the family how we would celebrate, my mother and I suggested doing it at home — saying we would prepare treats ourselves, invite relatives, friends, and my daughter's girlfriends. But Vasyl, although he was so homey, insisted this time: 'Let's celebrate Nastya's birthday in a restaurant.' So we ordered a restaurant, a festive cake, and bought the child a beautiful dress. It was such a celebration! Vasyl danced with our daughter, hugged her, joked… We recalled this after his death: probably, he arranged such a birthday for his princess-daughter because he somehow sensed that he would not be able to celebrate at her wedding… At one time, we had to give up celebrating Vasyl's 30th birthday: just a week before that, his father was hospitalized with a stroke. So in 2014, we planned to celebrate his 35th birthday; I had already thought of what I would give him, but it was not meant to be… On November 11, on Vasyl's birthday, we invited a priest to his grave, along with colleagues from his unit. Nastya stood by the boys during the memorial service — she listened to their stories, wanting to lean against each of them. Later, when one of Vasyl's friends, Volodya Barylyak, came to our house, Nastya sat on his lap, showing him her drawings — as if she wanted to feel at least a part of her father's warmth, as if she wanted to show Vasyl how well she draws…"