Yaroslav S. Shynkarenko (Yaryk)

Shynkarenko Yaroslav Serhiyovych was born on June 15, 1999 in the city of Bohuslav in the Kyiv region, in a military family. He graduated from the Economics and Law College of the Kyiv Cooperative Institute of Business and Law. He participated in combat operations since 2017. On March 10, 2020, during a routine patrol of the positions, Yaroslav Shynkarenko was driving the vehicle of the reconnaissance squad commander. The enemy fired an ATGM at the vehicle. Yaroslav calculated the trajectory of the missile, maneuvered, and managed to avoid the missile hit, saving the commander's life and keeping the vehicle intact. At the same time, another missile hit a cargo truck carrying ten soldiers of the unit. Yaroslav, without hesitation, rushed to rescue and evacuate the wounded to provide them with medical assistance. Thanks to the courage and determination of the young fighter, it was possible to avoid a greater number of casualties. After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Yaroslav Shynkarenko returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was sent to the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, becoming the commander of a reconnaissance company platoon. He participated in battles in the Kyiv region. Near the city of Brovary, in the village of Ploske, their group came under massive artillery fire. Yaroslav Shynkarenko, the only one in the entire group with combat experience, led 8 people out of the encirclement, and then returned for another group and also led them out. He was killed on April 19, 2022, while patrolling a vehicle near the city of Poliske in the Kyiv region, after detonating an enemy anti-tank mine.