Yevhenii H. Bazylevskyi (Baz)

Paratrooper Yevhen Bazylevskyi (call sign Baz) was killed on December 17, 2022, while defending Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. The warrior sustained multiple injuries during enemy tank shelling. He was only 27 years old. Yevhen was from Kyiv. He graduated from the Kyiv Technical College of Hotel Management, obtaining a degree as a computer technician. He loved reading, was interested in the history of the United Kingdom, and liked electric bicycles. Since 2015, the young man has been defending Ukraine. He participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation in Donbas as part of the 79th Airmobile Brigade. He was stationed in many hotspots on the front line. When the full-scale war began, Baz served in the 95th Brigade and later transferred to the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade. In the summer, he was wounded. During a hospital examination, he was found to have epilepsy, which he had hidden. However, the young man found a way to return to the army. "The Russians are still trampling on our country in the largest war since World War II. I must," he said then and went to the front line to join his comrades. In the autumn, he was promoted to junior sergeant and began commanding a unit. In April 2022, Yevhen met volunteer Alla. At first, they communicated. On Easter, he came to visit her, explaining: "I felt drawn to it." Since then, the couple has been together. "We met when he was looking for body armor. They didn't fit him, but I did - our communication grew into a warm relationship. Zhenya is a man of his word, honor, and truth. He looks like an 18-year-old, but has the wisdom of an elder. From his conscious years, he actively participated in important events of the state. He lived like a Hero and was killed like a Hero," the girl says. They were in constant contact. Yevhen tried to visit his beloved whenever possible. He said they were a little family. At the end of the year, he decided to propose. He planned to do it during their next meeting. He had pre-ordered a ring. "On December 13, I wrote that I really wanted to hug you. You said you did too, but first you had to take a shower. War, no soul, only wet wipes. You didn't see that message, but I wrote that I love you even smelly and unwashed. That's how I'll see you today - bloody, dirty, and mutilated. But I love you even like that," Alla writes. After the death of her beloved, she maintains a Facebook page in the form of a diary, where she tells the story of their love and describes her experiences. A photo of Alla holding Yevhen's hand in the morgue became known on social media and in the media. "I will hold your hand forever, my Hero. And even if you are no longer with us. I promised," she wrote. Yevhen's body was cremated, and his ashes were buried at the Lisy Cemetery in Kyiv. The defender left behind his grandmothers and fiancée.