Yaroslav A. Otrok (First)

Yaroslav Otrok (call sign First), a member of the "Azovets" unit, was killed in the night of July 29, 2022, as a result of a terrorist attack in the Olenivska colony in the Donetsk region. The warrior remained forever 21 years old. Yaroslav was born in the village of Vasylivka, Kirovohrad region. He lived in the Poltava region. He was interested in sports and history. Even as a teenager, he had a conscious civic position, so he participated in the activities of Plast and the National Corps. The boy dreamed of military service and in 2019, when he turned 18, he joined the ranks of the separate special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov". He mastered the profession of a sapper and served in the engineering and sapper platoon. Since 2021, he has been studying at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in the specialty "Political Science". During the full-scale war, Yaroslav, together with his comrades-in-arms, defended the city of Mariupol and the Azovstal plant. After fierce battles, he was captured by the Russians, from where he did not return. "I think the main thing is the light that he radiated, illuminating my life path with his presence. His inspiring worldview, which combined boundless kindness and firmness of convictions, will be enough for me for the rest of my life to make the right actions and the right choice, guided by what Yaroslav would have advised," said his wife Oleksandra. Almost a year later, in July 2023, they were able to say goodbye to the fallen in Kremenchuk, Poltava region. The hero left behind a loving family, friends and comrades-in-arms. Posthumously, soldier Yaroslav Otrok was awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.