Yurii M. Kindratyshyn (Kinder)

Soldier Yuriy Kindratyshyn (call sign Kinder) was killed in action on March 11, 2022, in the village of Lipivka, Kyiv region. During the battle, an enemy shell hit the BMP in which Yuriy was located. The blast killed him. The impact wave tore off the turret. The machine did not explode. Some managed to escape, while others were captured by the occupiers, interrogated, and brutally killed. Yuriy remained in the machine. The impact shifted the engine and pinned his legs. No one could approach the BMP, fearing that it would explode at any moment. The man's body remained inside the BMP until April 1, when Ukrainian soldiers liberated the village. The next day, local residents buried Yuriy in a mass grave on the territory of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. Yuriy Kindratyshyn was 40 years old. He was born in the village of Pidhorodtsi, Lviv region. He stu at the local school. Later, he continued his education at the Stryi Higher Vocational School No. 34, where he received the profession of a gas welder. He loved the forest, nature, and adored going mushroom hunting and planting trees. He spent a significant part of his life working abroad in the repair and maintenance sector. He volunteered to defend Ukraine in 2017. After completing his first contract, he signed another, which was supposed to end on March 29, 2022. During the full-scale Russian invasion, he fought in the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Roman the Great. He held the position of deputy commander of the combat vehicle, gunner-operator. Posthumously, he was awarded the Order of Courage III degree, the Princely Cross of the Hero "Forever in the ranks," the medal "Indomitable Heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian War," and was honored with the title "Honor of Stryj." "He was a good and sincere brother, a good master. I am proud of him and miss him very much. I still can't believe he is no longer among the living..." wrote his sister, Natalia Kotyk-Man'kova. Yuriy was buried in his native village. He is survived by his mother, daughters Victoria, Veronica, and Daryna, granddaughter Leia, two sisters, and a brother.