Viktor L. Rekunchak (Did Syvyi)

50-year-old Master Sergeant Viktor Rekunchak (call sign Grandfather Gray) was killed on May 12, 2024 near the village of Neskuchne in the Kharkiv region. During a tank shelling, he shielded his comrade who was with him on the position, but he himself sustained fatal injuries. Viktor was born in the village of Kurashivtsi, Vinnytsia region. Since his father was a military man and the family moved a lot, he finished school in Germany. After that, he also connected his life with the army. He held various positions in different places: he was an aircraft mechanic in the 85th Fighter Regiment, served in the Khmilnytskyi Engineering Battalion, the 7th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and was a platoon commander in the Separate Mechanized Brigade. Later, he retired and worked mostly as a driver abroad. With the start of the full-scale invasion, Viktor returned to Ukraine and joined the army again. At first, he served in the local automotive battalion, but in the spring of 2024 he was transferred to the 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "My father was a bright and sincere person, always himself and a friend to my brother and me, he knew how to cheer up and support, always responsible and devoted! He loved very much and was happy that he had two granddaughters. He could find a common language with his granddaughter Emilia in half a word, they spent time very nicely and cheerfully. Unfortunately, he never got to see his granddaughter Eva, she was born when he was already on a business trip in the Kharkiv region," said the son of the fallen Leonid. Viktor was buried in the Alley of Heroes of the cemetery in the city of Starokostiantyniv, Khmilnytskyi region. He left behind children and grandchildren.