Volodymyr H. Ovchynnikov (Kusto)

Sailor Volodymyr Ovchynnikov (call sign Kusto) was killed on November 17, 2022 in the area of the village of Dibrova in the Luhansk region. During the performance of a combat mission, he received fatal injuries as a result of enemy mortar shelling. The defender was forever 21 years old. Volodymyr was born and raised in the village of Kruhloozerka, Kherson region. From childhood, he worked at sea on seasonal jobs and helped his mother, who raised him and his older sister. According to his relatives, he was a very kind and cheerful person. He always took part in school and extracurricular performances, loved to perform on stage. He was passionate about playing the guitar. Later, he stuwas killed at the Kherson Maritime State College. In 2020, he signed a contract and began to defend Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the occupiers, the man evacuated his relatives to the Khmilnytskyi region, and then returned to military service. He fought for his Motherland in the ranks of the 140th separate reconnaissance battalion of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "My husband was a man with a capital letter. Despite his young age, he was very courageous and responsible. He loved his family more than anything in the world. He dreamed of living a long and happy life, raising children, loving and being loved..." - said Diana Ovchynnykova. The soldier was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Rakove cemetery in the city of Khmilnytskyi. The hero left behind a mother, sister, wife and a son who was born after the father's death. Volodymyr Ovchynnikov was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree. He was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the City of Khmilnytskyi".