Vitalii H. Liulkov (Prorab)

Sergeant Vitaliy Lyulkov (call sign Foreman) was killed on September 22, 2023, during a hostile mortar attack near the village of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region. The defender was 45 years old. Vitaliy was born in Potsdam, Germany, to a military family. Later, the family returned to Ukraine and lived in the Kirovohrad region. After school, he enrolled at the Oleksandriia Vocational and Technical School No. 316, where he obtained the qualification of an automobile crane operator. He then worked successfully. From 1996 to 1998, he served in the military. He loved animals and had many dogs of various breeds, such as the Caucasian Shepherd, the Ukrainian Sighthound, the German Boxer, and the Poodle, among others. He was also passionate about hunting. Later, he moved to Kyiv, where he started a family. He worked as a construction worker and had his own team. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he joined the 2nd Special Operations Company of the 1st Special Operations Battalion of the 71st Separate Jaeger Brigade. Vitaliy Lyulkov was awarded the Order of the President of Ukraine "For the Defense of Ukraine." The words of the hero, which are engraved in the memory of his loved ones, were written by his wife Olena: "Even if you don't let anyone close to you, don't be friends, don't love! The bitter taste of loss. Painful separation." The defender was buried in the Alley of Glory at the Forest Cemetery in Kyiv. Vitaliy is survived by his wife, son Kyrylo, and daughter Maiya.