Yevhenii V. Zabavchuk (Zabava)

Paratrooper Yevheniy Zabavchuk (call sign Zabava) was killed on October 25, 2022, in a battle with the occupiers near the village of Nevske in the Luhansk region. On October 5, the defender turned 28 years old. Yevheniy was born in the village of Zarychchia in the Zhytomyr region. As a child, he moved with his parents to the town of Ruzhin, where he finished school. In 2010, he entered the Nemyriv College of Construction, Economics, and Design of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University. He started his career as a master at the Popilnia Gas Utility Management. Later, he became the head of the Brusyliv section of the Popilnia Gas Utility Management. In 2019, he graduated with honors from the Institute of Innovative Education of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. From 2021, he worked at the "Metal Holding" company in Kyiv. In his free time, he loved to read. During the full-scale Russian invasion, he did not wait for a summons but went to the military enlistment office himself because he wanted to defend his homeland. He later became a fighter in the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade, serving as a shooter — a member of the crew. "He was a very good person, always ready to help, positive, loved children, and set goals for himself. As a child, he dreamed of being a military chaplain. He became a kind of chaplain for his comrades. In his only leave, he returned a hero to everyone. Zhenya was the only child of his parents, their only hope and support. For his mother, he was the meaning of her life. Zhenya said, 'Mom, I am fighting for the children.' These words will forever remain in her memory. After Zhenya's death, everyone remembered the moments spent with him, and they were only bright moments," said the deceased's third cousin, Anastasia Kucheriuk, with whom he grew up and was very close. The defender was buried in the town of Ruzhin in the Zhytomyr region. Yevheniy is survived by his parents, Vasyl Anatoliyovych and Oksana Mykolayivna, relatives, friends, and comrades. Posthumously, soldier Yevheniy Zabavchuk was awarded the Order of Courage III class.