Yakiv O. Floreskul

43-year-old Junior Sergeant Yakiv Floreskul was killed on July 29, 2023 near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. While carrying out a combat mission, he received fatal injuries as a result of a hit by an enemy guided air bomb. Yakiv was born and lived in the village of Dibrivka, Chernivtsi region. He graduated from Chernivtsi Vocational School No. 4. In 1998-1999, he served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He got married and later raised a son and a daughter with his beloved wife. He was building a house for his children on his own and dreamed of a housewarming party with his large family. He worked in construction in the Kyiv region. On February 24, 2022, waking up to explosions, Yakiv decided to return home. When he made sure that his family was safe and his children were "for now" not in danger, he went to the district military enlistment office, saying: "I won't wait for them to come to my home." And on March 2, he joined the ranks of the 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of the commander of the ammunition supply section of the mortar platoon. In May 2022, together with his comrades-in-arms, he stood defending the Kharkiv region, and then throughout the summer, as part of the 22nd Rifle Battalion, he held the border in the Sumy region. In the winter of 2023, the soldier underwent NATO military training in Poland. Since May 2023, he has been defending the Zaporizhzhia direction (Pyatykhatky, Robotyne), where active battles were taking place. "Yasha was the kindest person in our battalion, always in a positive mood, he always had everything good, even if it wasn't," his comrades-in-arms noted. "Yasha was very sensitive and friendly, always smiling and welcoming, never conflicting with anyone. He was respected and loved by his friends, neighbors, and fellow villagers. This damned war took away from us the most precious brother, beloved husband, loving, caring dad and the best son. Each of us had our hearts torn to pieces and a part of the soul was killed from such an irreparable loss... I still don't believe he's gone! I'm still waiting for a call and his unforgettable words: 'I'm all good! I'm not doing anything. I'm just sitting, messing around...' " - said the warrior's sister Svitlana. The defender was buried in the cemetery of his native village of Dibrivka. Yakiv is survived by his mother, wife, son, daughter, nine brothers and a sister.