Vitalii A. Akimov (Balu)

Soldier Vitaliy Akimov (call sign Balu) died on November 9, 2022 in the hospital. Two months earlier, while carrying out a combat mission, the fighter received multiple shrapnel wounds near the village of Shevchenkove in the Mykolaiv region. The defender would have turned 42 on November 30. Vitaliy was born and lived in Mykolaiv. He graduated from Mykolaiv Vocational School No. 17. He then worked as a mechanic at a local factory. He participated in the ATO in 2014. He got married and started a family. He had many plans and dreams for life. On the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, Vitaliy was mobilized into the Ukrainian Navy. He became a fighter of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinsky. "Courageous, strong, brave, a true patriot, a wonderful man and father. He was only 41 years old. He was always ready to defend his family and country from enemies. After receiving the injury, the doctors fought for his life for two months. He was killed without regaining consciousness," said the deceased's mother-in-law, Lyudmyla. The serviceman was buried in the village of Lupareve in the Mykolaiv region. Vitaliy is survived by his mother, wife, daughter, relatives and friends.