Yurii V. Balashov (Techik)

43-year-old junior sergeant Yuriy Balashov (call sign Techik) was killed on September 14, 2022, near the village of Pravdine in the Kherson region. While performing a combat mission, he and his comrades came under enemy mortar fire and sustained fatal injuries. Yuriy was born in the city of Novograd-Volynskyi (now the city of Zvyagel) in the Zhytomyr region. He stu at the Novograd-Volynskyi Higher Vocational School. In civilian life, he mostly worked in construction but also served as a security guard and gardener. For the last 10 years of his life, he worked as an installer of air conditioning and ventilation systems at the LLC "Design Bureau of New Ideas." He lived with his family in the village of Vyshenky in the Kyiv region. He built his house himself. He was passionate about motorcycles and cars, especially the Volkswagen T4 and T5 (which is why he had the call sign Techik). He loved fishing, traveling, gardening, and flowers. From 2015 to 2016, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) as part of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. He was a driver. On the third day of the full-scale war, February 26, 2022, Yuriy took up the defense of Ukraine for the second time. He served in the 241st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a driver in the 206th battalion. "Yura was a loving father and husband, a good son and brother, a reliable friend and comrade. He was brave, thoughtful, responsible, dependable, a true man who would always lend a helping hand. He became a brother to his comrades. He was someone you could rely on, always ready to offer advice, help, or listen... We have lost the dearest... But the memory of the angel-hero Yuriy will live forever in our hearts!" said the fallen defender's wife, Liliya. The soldier was buried in the village of Vyshenky in the Kyiv region. Yuriy is survived by his mother, brother, wife, two children, relatives, friends, and comrades. Posthumously, junior sergeant Yuriy Balashov was awarded the Order of Courage III degree.