Yevhenii P. Hnatovskyi (Sova)

Sergeant Yevhen Hnatovskyi (call sign Owl) was killed on April 9, 2023, near the village of Nevske in the Luhansk region. He was performing his duties at a combat position when the enemy carried out an air strike. The soldier did not have time to hide and received fatal injuries. He would have turned 45 on May 13. Yevhen was born in Vitebsk, Belarus. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Ukraine and settled in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. There he grew up, studied, and dreamed of a happy and prosperous future. He first studied at Bila Tserkva Secondary School No. 12, later transferred to the newly built Secondary School No. 20, and received his basic secondary education certificate at Secondary School No. 6. He then enrolled in Vocational School No. 6, where he mastered the professions of stonemason and driver. In 1997-1999, he served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he showed high performance in drill and combat training and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. After demobilization, he returned to Bila Tserkva, working as a minibus driver and then at furniture enterprises, where he was involved in the production and installation of furniture. In 2004, he met his love and got married. The following year, the couple had a son, and two years later, a daughter. Yevhen was an excellent and caring husband and father, fully providing for his family, where mutual understanding and comfort reigned. But everything was interrupted on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion. On April 20, 2022, Yevhen put on his military uniform again and took up arms to protect his family and Ukraine from the occupiers. The man became the commander of a combat vehicle in the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He first underwent training at the Training and Research Center "Desna," and then, as the tank commander, fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in particular defending Vuhledar and Marinka. From August to September 2022, he was attached to the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade. For his professionalism, diligence, and high skills in mastering the available weapons and equipment, he was awarded a certificate of the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade. In October, he returned to his 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade and took part in battles for the settlements of Hrekivka and Nevske, fighting near Kreminna in the Luhansk region. "Zhenya was not afraid of any work. He was hardworking, balanced, responsible, sociable, extremely friendly, cheerful, and had many friends who valued him for his sincerity, good, and open heart," his wife wrote. The defender was buried in the Alley of Glory of the Sukhyi Yar cemetery in Bila Tserkva. At home, his wife Anna, son Maksym, and daughter Dariia were waiting for him.