Vitalii V. Shevchenko (Sheva)

Junior Sergeant Vitaliy Shevchenko (call sign Sheva) was killed on April 12, 2023, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Tonenkhe in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 31 years old. Vitaliy was born in the city of Myrhorod, Poltava region. He graduated from secondary school No. 1 named after Panas Myrny. He was remembered by the school community as a cheerful, positive, and very hardworking guy. His sense of humor and talented performance of humorous stories made Vitaliy popular among his friends. Later, he obtained the profession of a driver-electrician at the Myrhorod vocational school No. 44. He served his military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he was a tank operator. In his free time, he loved to go fishing. Even during his studies, Vitaliy met his future wife. They grew up together and then got married. The couple raised a daughter. They had many plans and dreams. The husband worked hard to realize them. With the start of the full-scale war, Vitaliy without hesitation stood up to defend his Homeland and his loved ones. He joined the ranks of the 116th separate brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He took the position of commander of a rifle squad and went to the front. "He was a true patriot, an honest, reliable friend, a man of his word. Benevolent and sociable, Vitaliy made friends everywhere and tried to help everyone. Unfortunately, the cursed war crossed out his peaceful plans. He gave his young life for us, for the freedom and independence of Ukraine," said the wife of the fallen Hanna. The defender was buried with military honors in the Alley of Heroes in his hometown. Vitaliy is survived by his mother Nina, brother Dmytro, wife Hanna, and daughter Polina. He was posthumously awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Myrhorod City Territorial Community".