Vitalii A. Sheptulia (Zolotoi)

Soldier Vitaliy Sheptulya (call sign Golden) wdied on September 7, 2023 in a hospital in Vinnytsia. On August 25, while carrying out a combat mission between the villages of Verbove and Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, he suffered severe mine-explosive and shrapnel injuries. Doctors fought for his life until the end. On February 23, the defender would have turned 23 years old. Vitaliy was from the village of Prymorske in the Kherson region. After finishing school, he entered the Kherson Vocational School, where he obtained the profession of a gas and electric welder. He was then drafted into the airborne assault troops, where he was at the beginning of the invasion. In his free time, he was engaged in sports. He dreamed and planned his life, but did not have time to realize anything. During the full-scale war, the man fought in the ranks of the 82nd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. He bravely and courageously went into battle, believed in victory and very much wanted to return to his loved ones. "Vitalya was a real person, a professional soldier, a patriot of this state, ready to give the most valuable... He was never afraid of death. On the contrary, he said that he would fight to the end for our future, for the sake of our country and nation. All the qualities of a true man, brother, son, worthy comrade-in-arms were embodied in one person. He had an extremely large and kind heart. Vitalya always cared about his loved ones. He did everything for them. And he never liked us to cry... There are so many unfulfilled dreams left... After the victory, he so much wanted to visit his native Skadovsk, have a big family, live somewhere in the mountains, in silence and peace... With his beloved wife... Where there is no hell of war... The young man with incredibly blue eyes will forever remain in my heart. And his memory will live there," shared the deceased's beloved Maria Stepanska. "The entire school family and the city of Vitaliy will be remembered as an extraordinary personality, the best athlete, the captain of the school volleyball team, a man of his word who never betrayed his principles, defended the ideas of good and justice. And also as a handsome guy with an incredibly kind heart, sincere and open, always smiling... Without hesitation, Vitaliy gave all his youth to protect Ukraine from the enemy," the community noted. Vitaliy was buried at the Sabarivske Cemetery in Vinnytsia. He is survived by his parents, sister, girlfriend, relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms. The warrior was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.