Yurii M. Nikolaiets (Dok)

43-year-old Senior Sergeant Yuriy Nikolaets (call sign Dok) was killed on October 7, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Novoyehorivka in the Luhansk region. Yuriy was originally from Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast. He stu at the local school No. 9. He graduated from the Donbas State Engineering Academy. He was a private entrepreneur. From the first day of the full-scale war, Yuriy went to fight, saying, "Who will go if not me? I have something to protect, something to lose. This is our land, the land of our ancestors. We have a business, a home, we have a child growing up, and she must live under a peaceful sky." He joined a local military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He underwent training and became a combat medic. Later, he transferred to the airborne assault troops. He participated in the liberation of Sviatohirsk, Lyman, and Shchurove in Donetsk Oblast, and also fought near Izium. "A successful businessman from Kramatorsk. He did not hide abroad but came as a volunteer in the first days. I'm sorry we couldn't see you off on your last journey. Eternal memory to the brothers who fell in the fight against the Russian occupiers for the freedom of Ukraine," wrote Vitaliy Kyrkach-Antonenko, who was killed a month after his friend. "Yura, you became a true example for me when you voluntarily went to protect us. I was sure that when you returned from the war, you would tell us stories about victories. I can't believe you are no longer with us..." wrote Denys Chubatenko. The defender was buried at the Alley of Heroes in the village of Ivanivka near Kramatorsk. Yuriy is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.