Kulibaba-Bukhov Viktor A

Kulibaba-Bukhov Viktor Anatoliyovych was born on February 4, 1979, in the town of Sutysky, Tovriv district of Vinnytsia region. He grew up as an inquisitive, kind, loving, and sensitive boy. He helped his parents raise his younger brothers. He was not afraid of any work and never refused anyone help or support. He had a good sense of humor, but at the same time took any life situation seriously. If he promised something, he always kept his word. He was passionate about sports — weightlifting, basketball, and football. After graduating from school in his hometown in 1997, he consciously went to serve in the military, although he could have avoided it due to health issues. During his service in one of the military units of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stationed in Donetsk, he fell ill, underwent surgery, and was discharged as "unfit for military service in peacetime, limited fit in wartime." He worked in a security firm in positions such as guard, shift supervisor, and department head. Later, he held the position of manager at the insurance company "TAS," dedicating all his free time to his family — in October 2002, he got married, and the following year, he and his wife Halyna welcomed their son Andrii. On August 25, 2014, Viktor voluntarily appeared at the military enlistment office and asked to be mobilized. Just a few days later, he joined the ranks of the Vinnytsia regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine, taking the position of a rifleman-grenadier. Soon, soldier Kulibaba-Bukhov was sent to the area of the ATO — he went there wearing a helmet purchased for him by colleagues from the insurance company. The Tovriv district state administration provided Viktor and nine of his fellow soldiers from the same region with uniforms, thermal underwear, backpacks, and sleeping bags. The modern bulletproof vest bought for him was not delivered to Luhansk in time… On October 7, during the ceasefire declared by the Ukrainian side, in a brief phone conversation with his wife, Viktor said that he and his fellow soldiers were digging trenches, trying to strengthen their positions — in anticipation of shelling. A few hours later, around 3:00 PM, checkpoint No. 29 on the "Bakhmutka" highway was hit by enemy mortars. One of the explosions took the life of 35-year-old soldier Kulibaba-Bukhov, who became the first of the fallen mobilized guardsmen from Vinnytsia in the ATO. He died while shielding one of his comrades with his body. On October 10, 2014, Viktor was buried with military honors in his native Sutysky. "We didn't want to let him go to war. But he said, 'Forgive me if something happens to me. Going there is my duty. You will understand me later,'" says his mother Lyudmyla Volodymyrivna Kulibaba-Bukhov. "Even while in the ATO zone, Vitya did not change his mind and said in phone conversations that it is the direct duty of every healthy man to be in the East and protect us all. He said: 'So that those bastards do not come here to kill children and mock women, a decent man who respects himself must be there.' How much must one love people to go there knowing that you might not return? Yes, I am proud that I have such a son. I have always loved him and love him more than life, but I have often caught myself thinking that I was killed along with my son. The moment they informed me that my boy had died — everything became empty, gray, life stopped. I live only with memories of how my boy grew up, how he matured and became wiser, how he taught his younger brothers to be real men — reliable and worthy. I have a grandson Andriik, he is a part of my son. Once he said to me: 'Grandma, I will be like my dad — kind-hearted, cheerful, brave, and I will always keep my word, like dad.' My Viktor is always alive, bright, and worthy of memory for us. We love, remember, and miss him very much…" And here is how Andrii remembers his father: "Dad jokingly called me Andriano-Celentano. He had a good, sincere heart, he always protected us with mom. In his free time, we played football, went to the movies, sledded, and did homework together. Dad drew and sang well, he had many friends who still help mom and me. Everyone says I look a lot like him. I am proud that I have the best dad in the world. My dad is a hero…" Viktor's wife Halyna Mykolaivna says that their son dreams of studying at a military lyceum: "I have no right to dissuade him from a military career. But for now, our son goes to a regular school. Andrii looks very much like his father, both in appearance and character. He supported me a lot when we said goodbye to Vitya for the last time — he didn't even cry. He told me: 'Dad taught that real men shouldn't cry…'