Yevhenii S. Horbatyi (Duche)

Yevhenii Horbatyi (call sign Duche), an "Azovets", was killed in the night of July 29, 2022 in the colony of the temporarily occupied village of Olenivka in the Donetsk region. That night, the occupiers arranged an explosion in the barracks of the colony, as a result of which more than 50 captured Ukrainian soldiers were killed. In June, the defender turned 29 years old. Yevhenii was born in the village of Borozenske, Kherson region. In 2005, he moved with his family to the village of Vyhiv in the Zhytomyr region. He was a master of sports in bench press. He worked as a trainer in gyms, a security guard in the Sirius corporation, and also as a bodyguard. In July 2020, the guy decided to dedicate himself to military service and joined the ranks of the separate special purpose unit of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov". He held the position of a mortar battery crew member. He carried out combat missions on the territory of the Joint Forces Operation. He was proud of his service in the regiment. Duche, together with his comrades-in-arms, met the full-scale invasion in Mariupol. From the first day of the war, he took part in the defense of the city. "We've been together since 2020, almost immediately after he joined the ranks of the heroic Azov regiment. He is an incredibly kind, sincere, cheerful, fair, brave, purposeful, honest, decent person. After half a year of relationships, Zhenya proposed to me, and after some time I moved to him in Mariupol. We were making plans for the future, Zhenya dreamed of a daughter, and on Azovstal he came up with a name for her. He worthily went through the hell of Mariupol, Azovstal. By order of the higher command, he went into captivity. He was taken to Olenivka, where he and about 50 more comrades-in-arms were treacherously killed during the terrorist attack. We were truly happy and incredibly in love. I am infinitely grateful to the universe for these wonderful 2 years of our life together. He is forever in my heart... Forever in the ranks of our brave warrior..." - wrote the fiancée of the fallen Olena. In 2023, based on the results of DNA analysis, the relatives received final confirmation of Yevhenii's death. On June 26, he was buried in the village of Vyhiv in the Zhytomyr region. The hero left behind his parents, fiancée, brother and sisters.