Vitalii H. Antoshchuk

Vitaliy Hennadiyovych Antoshchuk was born on April 21, 1989, in Vinnytsia. After graduating from university, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in a separate battalion of the Marine Corps in an assault company. It was during this period that Vitaliy realized he wanted his future profession to be related to law enforcement. Brave and resilient, courageous and just — he possessed all the qualities of a fighter and protector. And his dream became a reality. Initially, Vitaliy Antoshchuk served in the special platoon of the detention group of the security police battalion, later in the public safety police company of special purpose, and in 2018 he was appointed as a senior inspector for special assignments in the 1st department for conducting special operations (assault) of the Operational Response Corps of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia region. "I always worried about him, even in peacetime, because his work is full of risk," says his wife, Yuliya. "But no matter how difficult it was, Vitaliy always found the positive in everything. He had so much energy and strength that it sometimes seemed like he charged everyone around him with it." Vitaliy Antoshchuk was not only a brave and courageous fighter but also a person with a sensitive musical soul. Besides sports, which he began practicing in childhood, he wrote poetry, set it to music, and performed it himself. He dedicated his first musical works to his wife and their love. As Yuliya recounts, her husband constantly surprised her with notes containing poetic lines. He would leave them around the apartment for her to find. After reading them, Yuliya would collect them in a box that they would occasionally take out to reread and reminisce about their pleasant moments together. In addition to his dream of being a special forces policeman, Vitaliy had another dream — to have a daughter. When their family welcomed Alisa, he spent all his free time with her. Over the years, he taught his daughter to adhere to life principles that, in his belief, a person should never violate under any circumstances. “Mom, don’t worry,” says 5-year-old Alisa to her mother now. “We will continue to live as Dad taught.” “We always called him Antoshka,” says a colleague of Vitaliy. “He never took offense. We miss his jokes. He always knew how to lift our spirits.”In Vitaliy's team, he is remembered not just as a colleague but primarily as a friend and brother who was always ready to lend a helping hand. During outings and work trips, he was someone they could always rely on; they were 100% confident in him. Since 2014, Vitaliy Antoshchuk had repeatedly participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Since March 2022, Vitaliy, as part of a consolidated unit of the National Police of Ukraine "Safari," carried out combat missions related to the clearing of settlements liberated from the occupiers, as well as countering the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. On May 22, 2022, during a combat mission, the soldier tragically died as a result of a missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia region. Colleagues, relatives, and friends will remember Vitaliy as a brave, courageous fighter with a sensitive musician's soul. For his conscientious approach to fulfilling his official duties, determination and courage, professionalism, initiative, and perseverance, as well as dedication to the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and impeccable service to the Ukrainian people, Vitaliy Antoshchuk was awarded the "For Participation in ATO" distinction. In May 2022, for his high professionalism and dedication to service, he was posthumously awarded the rank of "Police Captain." For his personal courage and selflessness displayed in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and loyalty to the military oath, Vitaliy Hennadiyovych Antoshchuk was posthumously awarded the Order of "For Courage" III degree.