Vladyslav P. Kutsolabskyi (Kutsyi)

Junior Sergeant Vladislav Kutsolabskiy (call sign Kutsiy) was killed on September 21, 2022, near the village of Drobysheve in the Donetsk region. While returning from a mission, the Ukrainian defenders came under enemy mortar fire. Vladislav was born and lived in the village of Murafa in the Vinnytsia region. After finishing school, he enrolled in the Vinnytsia Higher Vocational School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In 2014, he obtained the profession of a security guard. He loved to draw and read. He was passionate about boxing and had numerous awards for his sports achievements. Later, he joined the military service under contract in the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. He participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation in Donbas. During the full-scale war, Vladislav served in the reconnaissance platoon of the special forces of the 4th Operational Brigade named after Hero of Ukraine Sergeant Serhiy Mykhalchuk. He held the position of a reconnaissance machine gunner. During his service, the soldier was awarded several honors, including the Order of Courage of the 3rd degree in August 2022 and the Order of Courage of the 2nd degree—posthumously. “He was a wonderful, loving, and caring man. He was ready to do anything for me. Unfortunately, due to constant contracts in the National Guard, we didn't even get to live together normally for 5.5 years. I am sure he would have been a great dad for our daughter. A great loss for the family and everyone who knew him. There probably isn't a person who didn't love him or could say something bad about him,” said the wife of the fallen, Natalia. The soldier was buried in his native village. Vladislav is survived by his parents, wife, and daughter, who was 2 months old at the time of her father's death, and whom he had only seen twice.