Yurii B. Olefirenko

05.1983–06.1983: According to the staff of the 9th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of the Kyiv Military District in Kirovohrad. 06.1983–12.1983: Scout-sniper of the 9th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of the Kyiv Military District in Kirovohrad. 12.1983–08.1984: Senior scout of the 9th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of the Kyiv Military District in Kirovohrad. 08.1984–09.1984: Scout-sniper of the 668th Separate Special Purpose Detachment of the 9th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of the Kyiv Military District in Kirovohrad. 09.1984–05.1985: Scout-sniper of the 668th Separate Special Purpose Detachment of the Turkestan Military District in Bagram, DRA. 05.1985–08.1988: Chief of the supply workshop of the separate special purpose company in Kabul, DRA. 08.1988–06.1992: Cadet of the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in Ryazan. 06.1992–11.1992: At the disposal of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine in Kirovohrad. 11.1992–09.1993: Commander of the special purpose group of the 668th Separate Special Purpose Detachment of the 9th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of the Kyiv Military District in Kirovohrad. 09.1993–11.1994: Commander of the training group of special purpose — instructor of the training company (scouts) of the 50th Special Training Center in Kirovohrad. 11.1994–11.1996: Commander of the training company (scouts) — senior instructor of the 50th Special Training Center in Kirovohrad. 11.1996–05.2001: Senior instructor of the special training cycle of the 50th Special Training Center in Kirovohrad. 05.2001–02.2002: Chief of staff — deputy commander of the training detachment of special purpose of the 50th Special Training Center of the Southern Operational Command in Kirovohrad. 02.2002–04.2004: Commander of the training detachment of special purpose of the 50th Special Training Center of the Southern Operational Command in Kirovohrad. 04.2004–09.2004: Commander of the special purpose detachment of military unit A1594 in Ochakiv. 09.2004–01.2005: Commander of the underwater mining detachment of military unit A1594 in Ochakiv. 01.2005–10.2008: Deputy commander of military unit A1594 — diving specialist in Ochakiv. 10.2008–12.2009: Peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. 12.2009–12.2010: Chief of staff — first deputy commander of military unit A1594 in Ochakiv. 12.2010–06.2014: In reserve. 06.2014–09.2014: Commander of the 42nd Territorial Defense Battalion of the Southern Operational Command in Kirovohrad. 09.2014–16.01.2015: Commander of military unit A1594 in Ochakiv. Yuriy Borysovych Olefirенко was born on April 27, 1965, in the village of Krynychuvate, Bobrynets district, Kirovohrad region, in a peasant family that moved to the district center — the city of Bobrynets in 1974. After graduating from Bobrynets Secondary School in May 1983, he was drafted for compulsory military service in the Armed Forces of the USSR. From May 1983, he held the positions of scout-sniper and senior scout in military units 83483 and 83391, stationed in Kirovohrad. As part of the limited contingent of Soviet troops, he was sent to continue his service in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, and on September 20, 1984, he was appointed scout-sniper of the 1st unit of special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR in the 40th Army — the 459th Separate Special Purpose Company (military unit 44633, Kabul). He participated in combat operations multiple times and was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal for Courage. Due to his outstanding intellectual abilities during constant active combat operations, he mastered the Persian language perfectly, communicated fluently with local residents, even reading poetry and singing songs. In 1985, he was enrolled for an extended military service for a term of 2 years, until May 30, 1987, and in 1987 this term was extended until May 30, 1989 (one of his comrades was Oleksandr Romanenko). Later, he held the position of chief of the supply workshop of the 40th Army (military unit 86085). On August 1, 1988, Yuriy Borysovych entered the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after the Lenin Komsomol, graduating in 1992. He subsequently served in the 50th Special Training Center (military unit 83483, later A-0759, Kirovohrad) in positions such as group commander, training company commander, senior instructor of the tactical-special training cycle, chief of staff, and commander of the training detachment. In April 2004, he was transferred to continue his service in the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center (military unit A-1594, Ochakiv, Mykolaiv region), taking the position of deputy commander of this military unit. From 2005 to 2008, he studied at the National Defense Academy of Ukraine in the faculty of training specialists at the operational-tactical level. From October 27, 2008, to October 30, 2009, he worked as part of the Ukrainian military intelligence mission — a small unit that participated in NATO operations as part of the Lithuanian contingent of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF). He was awarded the Defender of the Fatherland Medal, many departmental awards from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and a commemorative NATO medal "ISAF." On December 18, 2010, Yuriy Borysovych Olefirенко was discharged from military service due to age. In retirement, he engaged in public activities and was elected a member of the board of the Kirovohrad regional organization of the Ukrainian Union of Afghan Veterans (internationalist soldiers). In the summer of 2014, he voluntarily approached the military commissariat and achieved a call-up for military service during mobilization, being appointed commander of the 42nd Territorial Defense Battalion of Kirovohrad region "Resistance Movement" (military unit V-4750, from November 2014 — the 42nd motorized infantry battalion of the 57th Separate Mechanized Brigade). During his 3 months in this position, he did everything possible to create and prepare the new unit and directly led the actions of its units in the ATO area. After the death on August 16 in the ATO area of the commander of the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center, Captain 1st Rank Oleksiy Zinchenko, the officers of the center appealed to the command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a request to appoint the most deserving officer, in their opinion, Captain 1st Rank Olefirенко, to the position of commander of the military unit. In September 2014, Yuriy Borysovych took command of the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center and soon returned to the ATO area. The subordinate marine special forces units successfully carried out combat missions for special reconnaissance in territories not controlled by Ukrainian troops, artillery fire adjustment, and detection and destruction of illegal armed formations. Captain 1st Rank Olefirенко personally participated in combat operations multiple times, always being an example of courage and professionalism for his subordinates. On January 16, 2015, while performing a task to adjust artillery fire on the positions of militants near the village of Pavlopil in the Novoazovsk district of Donetsk region, Yuriy Borysovych, using a drone, identified the location of an enemy mortar battery, which led to the destruction of the enemy position by artillery fire and the cessation of intense shelling that endangered the local residents. However, one of the last salvos allowed the enemy to hit the observation post of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, where Captain 1st Rank Olefirенко was located. Risking his own life, Yuriy Borysovych pushed three servicemen into cover, shielding them from the shrapnel of a mortar shell that exploded a few meters away, and sustained multiple severe injuries from which he died on the way to the hospital. To bid farewell to the brave officer, hundreds of people attended the civil memorial services held in Ochakiv and Kirovohrad. In November 2015, a group of nine members of the Ukrainian parliament appealed to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with a repeated request containing a proposal to posthumously award Yuriy Borysovych Olefirенко the title of Hero of Ukraine.