Vitalii O. Alymov

Vitaliy Oleksandrovich Alimov was born on June 24, 1984, in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa Oblast. He had been a member of the State Emergency Service since 2020. "We were together for 18 years," says his wife, Natalia. "We have a son, Bohdan, who is 17 years old. Our family was filled with love; we always supported each other. We had many plans and dreams for the future. We wanted to send our son to study abroad and to take a vacation together. Bohdan often said, 'Dad, I want to be like you!' Vitaliy was always an example for his son. When he spoke about his work, his eyes would light up. Vitaliy was very proud to be a rescuer. The team was wonderful; I knew almost everyone. I remember meeting all the guys and girls he worked with at the New Year's corporate party. I was amazed at how friendly and kind they all were. Everything changed on March 15. I remember the last message from my husband: 'Buy some paint; I want to dye my jeans.' It was such a small thing, but it was the last thing he wrote. Then the alarm began. After that, I received a call from my husband’s brother: 'Vitalik isn’t answering his phone.' Vitaliy always answered because he knew we were worried. He could have said he was busy and hung up, but he had never not answered at all. His brother went to the city to look for Vitaliy. After that, everything felt like a fog. The message came: 'Denys is no longer alive; Vitaliy is in the hospital.' I immediately went to the hospital and stayed there until late evening, and in the morning, I found out that my husband had passed away. I was very worried about how Bohdan would take it. I asked my sister to stay with him until I arrived. Bohdan tried to hold back, but even now, sometimes at night, I hear him crying. Inside, it feels like emptiness; there is nothing. An enemy rocket took not only a father and husband from us but also our shared future. I still cannot believe that Vitaliy is gone. I keep waiting for him to come home any moment now. I do not want to believe that such a thing could happen!" Heroes live on as long as they are remembered. Our heroes will live forever in our hearts.