Yurii M. Konotopenko (Konotop)

Junior Sergeant Yurii Konotopenko (call sign Konotop) suffered a mine-explosive injury incompatible with life on October 22, 2023, near the village of Vovkivka, Sumy region. The defender was forever 33 years old. Yurii was born in the village of Novopskov (now the village of Aidar) in the Luhansk region. Later, the family moved to the village of Knyazhychi in the Kyiv region, where his childhood and youth passed. He had secondary specialized education. He was constantly in search of himself, tried himself in various fields of activity: from baking bread to restoring car wheels. He worked in the Hunters Garage auto service network. He lived with his family in Kyiv. He began his warrior's path in 2015. He participated in the ATO in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. During the full-scale war, he defended the country as part of the Special Purpose Center (counteracting sabotage and terrorist acts) of the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He held the position of senior rifleman of the special forces unit. After the victory, he planned to marry his beloved Victoria. "Truly genuine - these are the words that accurately characterize this person. A rebel for life, brazen and straightforward, he never feared to dream and act. Yura changed me and my life in general. He gave me the meaning of life, my daughter Emilia, a little version of himself," wrote the civil wife of the fallen Viktoriia. Yurii was awarded the "Golden Cross", "Participant of the ATO" and "Victory is Ours" Sector "B" badges. He was also posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, 3rd degree. The defender was buried in the New Cemetery in the village of Knyazhychi, Kyiv region. Yurii is survived by his civil wife Viktoriia, daughter Emiliia, daughter Solomiia from a previous marriage, sisters and brothers.