Yurii I. Konovalov (Chumak)

Yuriy Ivanovych was born on December 19, 1959, in Kyiv. After finishing high school, he entered the Kyiv Institute of National Economy. After completing the first year of the institute, during the student holidays, Yuriy got a job in a geological expedition that worked in the Caucasus. This was how Yuriy had his first encounter with the mountains, which he fell in love with for life. Upon returning to Kyiv, Yuriy began to engage in mountaineering in the section of the Kyiv State University. Every summer he went to mountaineering camps in the Caucasus and Central Asia, eventually receiving the first category in mountaineering and becoming a rescuer in the mountaineering rescue service. In 1980, Yuriy graduated from the Kyiv Institute of National Economy. After finishing the institute, he worked in production and at a research institute, where he wrote his candidate dissertation. In 1987, Yuriy defended his dissertation and in 1988 received the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences. That same year, he participated in rescue operations after the earthquake in Armenia. By 2008, having long ceased mountaineering, Yuriy fulfilled his dream — climbing Mount Elbrus. He was a well-rounded person, with interests in music, sports, and travel. During his time in high school, Yuriy also attended a music school, where he learned to play the bayan. During his student years, Yuriy taught himself to play the guitar. His love for music accompanied him throughout his life. Friends, colleagues, and casual acquaintances often remember Yuriy with a guitar or bayan, recalling the wonderful songs and musical pieces he performed. Besides mountaineering, Yuriy was passionate about skiing, windsurfing, participated in marathon runs several times, dedicated a certain period of his life to sailing trips, and almost every year went hiking in the Carpathians or Crimea. Yuriy had many friends. Childhood friends and mountaineering companions went through his entire life, and he made friends with his colleagues, travel companions, volunteers, acquaintances from the Maidan, and found loyal friends in the "Donbas" battalion. People loved Yuriy for his kindness, hospitality, willingness to help, good humor, and sincere attitude towards everyone he met in life. They loved to listen to the songs and melodies he performed, and his stories. But perhaps the most important thing for Yuriy was his love for Ukraine, the history and culture of his native land, a lively interest in Ukrainian traditions, and identifying himself as a Ukrainian. Together with friends, he revived the traditions of Christmas caroling and the nativity scene, participated in volunteer activities to restore Ukraine's cultural heritage. Yuriy loved his native Kyiv very much. Walking with him through the streets of the city was incredibly interesting — he knew his hometown well, almost all the notable places and buildings in Kyiv, and recalled numerous historical facts from the past and present. He could also arrange a tour through the streets of Lviv and Odesa, astonishing even the residents of those cities with the breadth of his knowledge. For some time, Yuriy worked in production, research, educational, and commercial organizations. Since 2004, Yuriy Ivanovych began teaching at the Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman. In 2014, he held the position of associate professor in the Department of Personnel Management and Labor Economics, taught several subjects, and was a scientific supervisor for graduating students. Yuriy Ivanovych was respected by both colleagues and students (he met one of his former students in the "Donbas" battalion, and together they fought in Ilovaisk). Yuriy always had an active civic position and was a patriot of his homeland. In 2004, Yuriy actively participated in the Orange Revolution, and in December he went to Donetsk, where he became a member of the electoral commission during the re-vote of the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine. In 2013-2014, Yuriy actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity and was in the self-defense of the Maidan. In June 2014, unable to stand aside during dangerous times for Ukraine, Yuriy Ivanovych joined the ranks of the "Donbas" battalion as a reserve soldier. He underwent military training at the training ground in the village of Petrivtsi and in July went to the East with the battalion fighters. Lacking combat experience, Yuriy Ivanovych, along with his comrades, guarded civilian objects in the recently liberated Popasna and Lysychansk. He took part in combat actions already in Ilovaisk. According to his comrades, Chumak was a reliable and balanced fighter, a loyal friend. Before leaving Ilovaisk through the so-called green corridor, Chumak encouraged one of his comrades by saying, "Stick with me, I always have luck." But this time, luck was not on his side. During the exit from the Ilovaisk encirclement, Chumak was in UAZ No. 459 as part of the convoy of the "Donbas" battalion. Near the village of Chervonosilsk, the vehicle was hit, and Shok died in it. Chumak and his comrades jumped out of the vehicle and lay down in the grass. The fighters were showered with fire, and an enemy armored personnel carrier stood opposite them. Chumak was wounded twice by shrapnel from grenades and could not move. His comrades could not pull Chumak out under the heavy enemy fire. The last time the fighters saw Yuriy, he was severely wounded, but no one saw him dead. Relatives and friends actively searched for Yuriy for another year, hoping for a happy rescue.