Viktor V. Melnyk (Vinnytsia)

36-year-old Sergeant Viktor Melnyk (call sign Vinnytsia) was killed on August 29, 2022, near the village of Stepova Dolyna in Mykolaiv region. During an offensive in the Kherson direction, he sustained a fatal shrapnel wound as a result of enemy shelling. Viktor was born in Kazakhstan. Since 1993, he lived in the village of Kotyuzhyntsi in Vinnytsia region. He graduated from the Koziatyn Higher Vocational School of Railway Transport. He worked for himself. In 2015-2016, he participated in the ATO. He loved his children, Danyil and Kira, very much. He always tried to take care of them and provide them with the best, and above all, he dreamed of them living in a peaceful country. With the onset of the full-scale war, Viktor returned to the ranks of defenders and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign. He held the position of grenade launcher. “Viktor was kind and selfless. He had a sharp sense of justice. He was a participant in the ATO, and after the full-scale invasion, he voluntarily went to defend the country. He had the opportunity to stay in the military unit and help with training, but he could not sit still while the occupiers were tormenting people. He decided to go to the front and was at zero. When I called him and asked what he needed, he said that they were doing well and had enough of everything. Although after I contacted the relatives of other soldiers, it turned out that they had been starving for a week, but my brother didn't say anything to avoid upsetting me and our mother,” said the fallen soldier's sister, Olena Melnyk. The defender was buried in the village of Kotyuzhyntsi in Vinnytsia region. Viktor is survived by his parents, sister, son, and daughter.