Volodymyr B. Petrenko (Liutyi)

Sergeant Volodymyr Petrenko (call sign Liutyi) was killed on December 16, 2023, while carrying out a combat mission in the area of the village of Udy in the Kharkiv region. On December 1, the warrior turned 54 years old. Volodymyr was born in the village of Pisky-Radkivski, Kharkiv region. He received a secondary education. He got married and raised two sons. He lived with his family in the village of Nyzhche Solone, Kharkiv region. He worked as an electric gas welder at the Borivske municipal heat supply enterprise. He was engaged in growing grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and roses. He loved to take care of the garden, which he planted together with his sons. He did everything in the house himself, as he had a talent for repair work. In the first days of the full-scale invasion, the man, together with his elder son Bohdan, voluntarily went to the front. Volodymyr held the position of senior sergeant of the platoon in the 122nd (Izium) separate battalion of the territorial defense of the 113th brigade of the TRO of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also performed the duties of a platoon commander. He fought for his native Kharkiv region, then defended the Bakhmut direction, the borders of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. In May 2022, Volodymyr's son was killed in the Donetsk region. He was 29 years old. The father remained at war and continued to destroy the invaders. Volodymyr was awarded the medal "For Bravery in Battle" and the President of Ukraine's award "For the Defense of Ukraine". "My husband had the call sign Liutyi, although he was only fierce towards the enemies, towards the traitors. In peaceful life, he was a loving, caring husband and father, a true patriot of his native land, an honest and responsible person. He was always for justice, for the truth. He raised his sons as real men, who also took up the defense of the country. Unfortunately, his elder son Bohdan was killed in May 2022 in the Donetsk region, while performing a combat mission. It is thanks to such people as my husband that our country is holding on, our country will win. After the death of his son, he could have resigned, live a normal life, but he did not do this. He remained faithful to the oath, faithful to the people, faithful to Ukraine. His comrades-in-arms speak of Liutyi with great respect. They remember him as a very decent, reliable, responsible, principled and extremely dedicated person," Halyna Petrenko said. The hero was buried in the Alley of Glory of cemetery No. 18 in Kharkiv. His elder son is also buried there. Volodymyr is survived by his wife and son Denys.