Volodymyr V. Ponka (Chip)

Senior soldier Volodymyr Ponka (call sign Chip) died on August 24, 2023 in the Serebryansky forestry area near the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region. During the assault on enemy positions, he suffered a fatal mine-explosive injury as a result of enemy mortar shelling. In June, the warrior turned 22 years old. Volodymyr was born in the city of Dokuchaevsk, Donetsk region. He studied at the local school. In 2014, together with his mother, he left the occupied city and moved to Volnovakha. There he finished school. In 2020, he obtained the profession of a florist at the V. Graff Velikoanadol Forestry Technical College. In 2022, he graduated from the Kharkiv National Technical University of Agriculture named after Petro Vasylenko, received a bachelor's degree in "Woodworking and Furniture Technologies" and obtained the qualification of a furniture technology engineer. He planned to enter a master's program, but decided to defend his Homeland. During his studies, he worked as a waiter, then as a realtor. In his free time, he played football. He dreamed of starting a family and raising children. After the start of the full-scale invasion, Volodymyr and his mother were again forced to seek a new shelter due to the occupation of Volnovakha. The guy went to Kyiv. On January 18, 2023, he joined the ranks of the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov". After training, he took the position of senior machine gunner and went to the front line. "My only son was always smiling, hardworking, kind, sensitive, responsible. He always came to the aid of his friends. We are twice displaced, in 2014 Volodymyr could not defend his Homeland because he was a minor, and when he lost his home for the second time, he decided to voluntarily defend his native land. Vova really wanted to return to his native Dokuchaevsk..." said Viktoria Ponka. The young hero is buried in the St. Nicholas cemetery in Zaporizhzhia. Volodymyr is survived by his mother, grandmother, grandfather, girlfriend, friends and comrades-in-arms. The National Guardsman was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.