Viacheslav V. Khokhliuk (Smit)

Senior Lieutenant Vyacheslav Khokhliuk (call sign Smit) was killed on April 21, 2023, as a result of a Russian missile strike on a building with military personnel in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. A month earlier, on March 19, the officer turned 44 years old. Vyacheslav was born in Vasylivka, Zaporizhia Oblast. He obtained a higher education at the Dnipropetrovsk Mining University. He lived in Kyiv and worked as a programmer. He was involved in sports, including MMA. He loved motorcycles and bike trips. Two weeks before the full-scale war, on February 12, 2022, he proposed to his beloved girlfriend Anastasiia. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the man and his fiancée joined the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade and participated in the defense of the Kyiv region. The couple got married on April 7, 2022. Their photo then appeared on the front page of The Times. Later, Vyacheslav was transferred to the 5th Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and continued to defend Ukraine on other fronts. He was the battalion's communications chief. "He was the kind of commander who climbed the towers himself and helped solder the radios, just to make sure the communication was working. He was always engaged in self-education, not waiting for someone to explain, but searching and studying the information himself. Straightforward, honest, and dedicated. Even near Bakhmut, he found a way to organize a mini-celebration in honor of our anniversary," said the deceased soldier's wife, Anastasiia Mokhina. The warrior was buried in the Lukianivskyi Historical and Memorial Reserve in Kyiv. Vyacheslav is survived by his parents, wife, and son.