Yaroslav S. Levkivskyi (Kasper)

Senior Lieutenant Yaroslav Levkiivskyi (call sign Kasper) was killed on June 1, 2022, near the village of Novoluhanske in Donetsk region. The commander of the grenade launcher platoon of the 30th Brigade was blown up by an enemy tripwire. Yaroslav was born in the town of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region. He obtained higher education and became a Master of Law. He tried his hand as a lawyer — he did not like it. The war in Eastern Ukraine troubled the young man, so he completed his studies at the military department and decided to try his luck serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He went to serve in the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozhskiy. After heavy fighting to repel the Russian offensive on May 27-29, 2022, the grenade launcher platoon commanded by Senior Lieutenant Yaroslav Levkiivskyi was withdrawn to Novoluhanske. On the morning of May 31, Yaroslav went to look for communication to inform his family and loved ones that everything was fine. The location was new for the platoon, and the body of the fallen soldier was not found for a long time. "I was proud to call Yaroslav my friend. He found himself in the military. He defended his homeland. He could have continued to work in his profession, but he felt that it was not for him... Yaroslav was tired, having lost friends during the fighting. His battalion was withdrawn from the front line for rest 20 days after his death. Unfortunately, already without Yaroslav. It's a pity he couldn't hold on for another 20 days to see his family, friends, and fiancée," said the defender's friend Bohdan Lavreniuk. Yaroslav did not have time to get married. He had a fiancée, with whom they planned to have a wedding after the victory. Yaroslav's parents are military medics and continue their service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The hero was buried in Volyn. Posthumously, Yaroslav Levkiivskyi was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the III degree.