Viacheslav A. Bashta (Hrivas)

Combat medic Vyacheslav Bashta (call sign Doc) was killed on September 22, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Karpivka in the Donetsk region. He was about to turn 27 years old a month later. Vyacheslav was born in the city of Dnipro. He graduated from the Dnipro National University named after Oles Honchar, earning a bachelor's degree in social work. In his free time, he grew exotic plants. He was passionate about cooking and interested in history. Since 2019, he served under contract in the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a fighter in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade. He participated in the Joint Forces Operation in Donbas. With the onset of the full-scale war, Vyacheslav joined t he ranks of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and continued to defend his homeland from the occupiers. He was a combat medic. "Vyacheslav as a true man should — in a noble defensive war against the beast that invaded our country. During his service, he fully justified the reputation of Ukrainian paratroopers — Vyacheslav and his 'always first' combat comrades were at the forefront of both defense and offense, particularly during the counteroffensive operation of the Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv region. Our friend repeatedly balanced between life and death, but this time, unfortunately, fate caught up with him. Rest in peace, Brother. We will definitely avenge you. We will surely win," wrote the fallen soldier's comrades on the NIP "Tisk" page. "You could talk about him for hours; he revealed different sides to everyone, but to all, he was a sunny person. When he appeared in my life, he lit it up," said the fallen soldier's girlfriend, Diana. The paratrooper was buried in his hometown. Vyacheslav is survived by his parents, brother, grandmother, grandfather, beloved girlfriend, and numerous friends.