Vitalii M. Koshel (Hus)

Serviceman Vitaliy Koshel was killed on August 10, 2022 while carrying out a combat mission near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 48 years old. Vitaliy was born in the village of New York in the Donetsk region. He graduated from local school No. 16. Then he served in the army and returned home. From the age of 20, he worked as a lathe operator at a local machine-building plant. He loved his profession very much, was responsible and hardworking, and was respected in the team. Later, he worked a little at the Yasynuvata machine-building plant, then at the hydromechanical plant in his native village. He was fond of fishing, grew grapes, and dreamed of breeding new varieties of this berry. With the start of the full-scale war, Vitaliy decided to defend his home with weapons in his hands, because the enemy was shelling his native village every day. At the beginning of March 2022, he became a rifleman of the 104th battalion of the 109th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His wife Anna says that when Vitaliy went to the ranks of the Bakhmut TRO, he said: "I won't live under the Russians, I have to defend my native city." It was during those days that the man posted a clip to the song "Brothers Ukrainians" on his Facebook page with the words: "We will give our soul to God, for our sacred Ukraine." Comrades-in-arms recall that Vitaliy was an interesting interlocutor, often mentioned his family and native village, and was very proud of his daughter, planning the future. "Vitaliy was inclined to systematicity, persistently studied military affairs, and took equipment and weapons seriously. Once, after a trip home, he brought us a drake from his yard - the remnants of a personal farm. Since then, he has had the call sign Gus - in memory of his peaceful past life," recalls comrade Volodymyr Yeletc. The company's first battle was on July 31, 2022. That day, their unit eliminated about 25 enemies. 10 days later, Vitaliy's last battle took place. "It was a place about a kilometer from Bakhmut. We were in the trenches and came under heavy artillery fire that lasted for hours. Using drones, the Russians fired directly into the trenches. 150-caliber shells were coming at us. I was two meters from Vitaliy. We were constantly talking. When he was killed, I didn't immediately understand it and talked with his legs for 10-15 minutes... The trenches were dug in zigzags, he was around the corner from me, I could only see his boots... One of the shells hit the fighter directly. I was only concussed, I remained alive. Vitaliy - no... I am very proud to have known the hero who went to defend his Homeland, sacrificed his life for our common future, our Ukraine," added Volodymyr. Vitaliy is survived by his mother, wife and daughter.