Vasyl Ya. Haiv

Vasyl Yaroslavovych Haiiv was born on January 20, 1978, in the village of Kozakivka, Kalush District, Ivano-Frankivsk Region. On May 20, 2022, Chief Sergeant Vasyl Haiiv was called up for military service in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine due to mobilization. From October 2 to 29, 2022, the serviceman, as part of a consolidated unit of the "Chop-2" border service detachment of the 94th border guard squadron of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, defended the independence and territorial integrity of his homeland. According to combat orders, he served in one of the key directions in Donetsk Oblast. At dawn on October 29, 2022, Russian occupiers began shelling the positions of Ukrainian border guards in the area of the village of Volodymyrivka, Donetsk Oblast. The enemy shelled the positions with multiple launch rocket systems, large-caliber artillery, mortars, and automatic grenade launchers. After intense shelling, around 9:00 AM, the enemy launched an assault, covering themselves with two tanks and one infantry fighting vehicle. The group of border guards, which included Chief Sergeant Vasyl Haiiv, engaged in an unequal battle with the Russian occupiers. When the situation became critical, Vasyl and a comrade, drawing the enemy's attention to themselves, crawled up a hill and opened fire on the enemy forces with a machine gun. The group of border guards destroyed two tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle. Under fire from Ukrainian defenders, the enemy was left without cover for their combat vehicles and retreated. Vasyl Haiiv was killed in battle while carrying out a combat mission at the cost of his own life. For personal bravery and selfless actions demonstrated in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as loyalty to the military oath, Chief Sergeant Vasyl Yaroslavovych Haiiv was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage III class.