Vitalii M. Nikandrov (Nikan)

Senior Lieutenant Vitaliy Nikandrov (call sign Nikan) was killed on August 12, 2022, while performing a combat mission near the village of Zaitseve in the Donetsk region. The officer received a fatal explosive injury. In July, he turned 27 years old. Vitaliy was born and lived in the city of Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. He graduated from the Odesa Military Academy. He was a career military serviceman. Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, he participated in the ATO/OOS in Donbas. At the time of the full-scale invasion, Sergey served in the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians. He was the deputy chief of staff of the battalion's intelligence department. From the first days of the full-scale war, he continued to perform his duties and defend Ukraine from Russian occupiers. "Vitaliy was a true patriot and a devoted warrior of his Fatherland. And as long as the heart beats, the flame of Glory will not fade. Glory to Ukraine - Glory to Heroes! He always quoted this slogan. The best man in the world! I am proud of him, for me he is a true hero," said the officer's wife, Tetyana. The warrior was buried on the Alley of Glory at the "Sukhy Yar" cemetery in his native Bila Tserkva. At home, his wife and daughter were waiting for him. Posthumously, Senior Lieutenant Vitaliy Nikandrov was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi III degree.