Volodymyr I. Kalmyk (Fizruk)

Junior Sergeant Volodymyr Kalmyk (call sign Fizruk) was killed while performing a combat mission near the village of Pravdyne in the Kherson region. On September 17, 2022, he came under fire and suffered shrapnel wounds incompatible with life. Volodymyr was 55 years old. He was born in the village of Rivne in the Odesa region. He graduated from the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynskyi. He worked as a physical education teacher at Bilyaivka Lyceum No. 1. Sports were his element. Previously, he played football for a local team and recently was part of the veterans' national team. He also loved volleyball and table tennis. He had a good singing voice and could play the guitar. He was interested in history and adored reading. He lived with his family in Bilyaivka. In the early days of the full-scale war, Volodymyr volunteered to go to the front. He held the position of radio telephone operator in the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign. "My dad was a kind and bright person, the best man, father, and grandfather for us. He was loved by more than one generation of students. He adored life but was also ready to die for Ukraine. He was such a devoted patriot... And he fought for peace and victory over the enemy until his last breath," said his younger daughter, Tetiana Lysyhor. The soldier was buried in Shevchenko Cemetery in Bilyaivka. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and three granddaughters. A grandson was born after the defender's death, and he was named after his grandfather Volodymyr. Posthumously, Volodymyr Kalmyk was awarded the distinction "For the Defense of Ukraine."