Viktor V. Samchenko (Topol)

Senior Soldier Viktor Samchenko (call sign Topol) was killed on April 22, 2024 near the village of Klishchiyivka in the Donetsk region. The defender sustained injuries to both legs as a result of an attack by an enemy kamikaze drone. The defender was 37 years old. Viktor was born in the village of Velyka Hlumcha, Zhytomyr region. He studied at the Velykohlumchanska and Malohlumchanska schools. He obtained a specialized secondary education at the Zhytomyr Technological College, majoring in "Wood Processing Technology". He worked at stone processing enterprises. Recently, he was a stoker at a school. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, on February 25, 2022, Viktor voluntarily enlisted in the 141st battalion of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade. In November 2023, he was transferred to the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. He held the position of a sniper. He was awarded a certificate of honor for personal dedication, courage, and heroism. "Viktor was modest, taciturn, but his actions proved that he was the best. Very hardworking, kind, a good father, husband, son, brother, friend. I have never met and will not meet anyone like Viktor. A great loss for us," wrote his wife Oksana. The defender was buried in the village of Studenytsya in the Zhytomyr region. Viktor is survived by his wife, sons Kyrylo and Mykhailo, who were 12 and 10 years old at the time of his death, his mother, two brothers and three sisters.