Vitalii V. Nikiforov (Rybak)

Senior soldier Vitaliy Nikiforov (call sign Rybak) was killed on July 15, 2023 in a battle with Russian invaders near the village of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 35 years old. Vitaliy was from the city of Chernivtsi. He graduated from the Chernivtsi Vocational Lyceum of Railway Transport. He earned a living by assembling furniture. In his free time, he loved to go fishing. During the full-scale Russian invasion, the man joined the ranks of the defenders. He fought in the 92nd battalion of the 107th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He took part in combat operations in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. "Vitaliy went to defend his family, because he did not want the war to come here along with the horrors that were happening in the occupied cities," said his wife Iryna. Vitaliy was buried in the village of Hodyliv, Chernivtsi region. He is survived by his mother, sister, wife and daughter. The defender was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.