Yaroslav F. Bais (Avhust)

Senior Lieutenant Yaroslav Bais (call sign August) was killed on July 29, 2022 as a result of a Russian terrorist attack in the colony of the temporarily occupied settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk region. On August 8, the defender would have turned 27 years old. Yaroslav was from the city of Odesa. He dreamed of becoming a sailor, so he graduated from the Odesa National Maritime University. In 2014, he participated in the confrontation in Odesa. He was interested in the history of Ukraine, world history, and wrote music. After the death of a close friend in 2016, he decided to join the ranks of the Azov regiment. In February 2017, the man carried out his plan and joined the ranks of the separate special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov". He took part in the ATO / JFO in the Donetsk region. The beginning of the full-scale war found him together with his comrades-in-arms in Mariupol. At that time, Yaroslav held the position of deputy commander of the company for personnel work. From the first days of the Russian invasion, he defended the city. He went through fierce battles at the Azovstal plant, and then, together with his comrades, fell into enemy captivity, from which he did not return, like dozens of his friends. "He was an incredibly strong and purposeful person, he always knew what words to choose for support and how to solve any issue. He always said that Russia is a tumor of imperialism and everyone must be ready to defend the Motherland," said Valeria, the deceased's beloved. After the exchange of bodies and DNA examination in July 2023, Yaroslav was bid farewell in his native Odesa. He left behind his parents, younger brother, fiancée, relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms. The officer was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree. A memorial plaque in honor of Yaroslav Bais was opened at the university he graduated from.