Viktor V. Yatsunyk (Brytanets)

Victor Vasyliovych Yatsunyk was born on April 11, 1978 in the village of Vernyaky, Zbarazh district, Ternopil region. He studied as a carpenter in Ternopil. In 1998, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he obtained the profession of a plumber. He is a British citizen. He lived in Oxfordshire County, was a reservist of the British Armed Forces since 2018. He served in the British army, worked under contract in Cyprus. Since 2014, he has been helping to raise money and equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers. In 2021, together with his army friend Danny, he opened his own company for house repair and renovation. When the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine occurred, he left his family and service in the British army and, after 25 years of emigration, returned to defend his homeland. On March 2, 2022, he flew from Britain to Poland at night, bought a car there, crossed the border and was in Lviv on the morning of March 4. After the defense of Kyiv, he filed a report to the British Army on the termination of the contract, as he had a clear desire to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was the commander of the medical evacuation unit, trained Ukrainian soldiers. He served in the reconnaissance battalion "Skala". He liberated the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region from occupation. On September 17, 2022, together with other fighters, he was heading to evacuate the wounded from the front line in the area of the recently liberated city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region. He accidentally stepped on an MON-50 mine and was killed. According to his will, his body was cremated. Part of the ashes were to be buried in London, another part - in his homeland, in the village of Vernyaky in the Ternopil region, where he was born. Another part of the ashes was buried in a mass grave. He is survived by his wife and two children.