Vitalii M. Drachuk (Matros)

36-year-old senior soldier Vitaliy Drachuk (call sign Matros) was killed on August 23, 2023 near the settlement of Nevelske in the Donetsk region. While saving his comrades, he received a fatal injury during the enemy shelling. Vitaliy was born in the village of Cherepashyntsi, Vinnytsia region. He graduated from the local school and entered the Hushchyntsi Vocational School. Before the war, he worked as an operator at VINIFRUIT JSC and at one of the private enterprises. He was married and raised two children. He dedicated his free time to his family. With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the man joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to protect his family from the occupiers. He served in the machine gun unit of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakov Handziuk. Together with his comrades, he initially defended his native lands in the Mykolaiv region, then in the Kherson region. Later, he went to the Donetsk direction. "I am proud of my husband, and the children are proud of their father for his courage, resilience, heroism, patriotism and unwavering loyalty to the Ukrainian people," said Natalia Drachuk. The warrior was buried in the village of Kordelivka in the Vinnytsia region, where he lived with his family. At home, Vitaliy was awaited by his parents, wife and two children.