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Matushchak Yurii V (Viter)
15 February 1987 – 29 August 2014Donetsk region – Donetsk region
Order "For Courage" 3rd Class

Biography
Yuriy was born on February 15, 1987, in Donetsk. Since childhood, he became interested in Ukrainian history and culture. In 2004, he enrolled in the history department of Donetsk National University, and from the first days of his studies, he stood out among students for his activity, enthusiasm, inspiration, and organizational skills. On October 31, 2006, third-year student Yurko Matushchak, along with like-minded individuals, founded the Donetsk Regional Youth Public Organization "Push," aimed at promoting Ukrainian national revival in Donetsk. Yuriy was elected chairman of the "Push" board, which united patriotically minded young people from Donetsk, mostly students. The organization's members promoted the Ukrainian language and culture, contributed to the study of "white spots" in history, published their own newspaper, and held various events and actions, including literary evenings, Christmas festival performances, commemorations of the Holodomor victims and Stalinist repressions, and even weddings in the Ukrainian style. In conditions where local authorities did not support the activities of such patriotic organizations, the active work of "Push" and Yuriy personally was especially valuable. Yuriy was a member of the Public Council under the regional state administration. After graduating, in 2011-2012, Yuriy interned in the Polish city of Lublin, participated in a project to restore the memory of the 1943 Volhynia tragedy, and collected testimonies from eyewitnesses of those events. In addition, he became involved in the life of the local Ukrainian community by joining the Lublin Ukrainian Society. After returning to Ukraine, he worked as a history teacher at a school, dreaming of studying in graduate school. With the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity, Yuriy became one of the active participants and organizers of the Donetsk Euromaidan, also traveling to the capital and participating in the creation of self-defense in Donetsk for the safety of participants in pro-Ukrainian actions. When he submitted his resignation because he decided to be on the barricades permanently, his high school students, from whom he did not hide his beliefs, decided that their beloved teacher was being persecuted and, together with their parents, went to the school principal and the district education department with a request "not to expel the historian." Yuriy continued to defend his views even when the infamous events of the "Russian Spring" began in Donetsk, but soon it became clear that the time for political debates and peaceful protests had passed — pro-Russian separatists resorted to threats and violence against opponents. And when armed militants began to openly take control of the huge city, Yuriy had to escape. His girlfriend Francesca Leonardi, an Italian citizen who had been volunteering in Donetsk since 2013, teaching Italian, left with him. For the girl, who had come to love Ukraine and found love there, it was a real shock to see the metamorphosis in the consciousness of Donetsk residents, as it became dangerous not only to attend pro-Ukrainian rallies but also, for example, to wear a vyshyvanka (even this provoked aggression). In June 2014, Yuriy and Francesca, who found refuge in Chernivtsi, told one of the TV channels about the criminal chaos that engulfed Donetsk with the arrival of the "Russian world," about torn Ukrainian flags, and the terror unleashed by the leaders of the self-proclaimed DPR against supporters of Ukraine's unity. Soon, Yuriy decided that he had no right, as a refugee, to simply observe the large-scale historical tragedy unfolding in his homeland. He went to Dnipropetrovsk, where, along with a few friends, he enlisted in the "Dnipro-1" battalion. In the memory of his comrades, he, a fighter with the call sign Wind, remained an optimistic, bright, and intelligent person who always seemed to radiate positive energy. Then came the hell of the Ilovaisk cauldron and the explosion of an enemy shell that took his life on August 29 in the "corridor of death." On May 29, 2015, at the Krasnopil Cemetery in Dnipropetrovsk, on one of the gravestones, instead of a plaque with a number and the inscription "Temporarily Unidentified Defender of Ukraine," another plaque appeared — with the surname, name, and patronymic of police private Yuriy Matushchak. A memorial service was held at his grave, attended by relatives, friends, and comrades of the fallen hero. Jacek Szafranski: "This is terrible news. I met Yuriy in 2013 in Lublin during the presentation of the book 'Connection through Difficult Memory.' He was one of the participants in the project, and we talked a bit after the discussion part of the meeting. I was captivated by his erudition and ability to view history from different perspectives. I was very impressed and delighted that there was a person who was genuinely reconciling our peoples and could be a bridge between Poles and Ukrainians on this issue. Without a doubt, Yuriy was a gem in the Ukrainian generation of Columbuses. This is an irreparable loss. Glory to the Hero. Czesc Jego Pamieci!" Sergey Shvets: "When I joined 'Dnipro-1,' I had a friend Yurko… A month and a half later, he was killed in the war, but he had a dream… He dreamed that his Donetsk University would be named after his favorite Ukrainian writer. And he, Yuriy Matushchak, fought for this for a long time… And now a lot of time has passed. Yurko has long been at the Krasnopil Cemetery in Dnipro… But his dream has come true, thanks to him and his followers. Now Donetsk University bears the name of Vasyl Stus. Your dream has come true, Yurichka. Rest in peace, friend… Glory to the Hero!"Military service
Police Private, PolicemanSpecial police patrol service battalion 'Dnipro-1' of the MIA directorate in Dnipropetrovsk region- Abashyn Herman
- Aleksanych Oleh
- Alekseienko Vadym
- Andriiuk Yevhen
- Atamanchuk Roman (Dobryi)
- Badichenko Stanyslav
- Balahlanov Pavlo
- Banas Yurii
- Baranov Roman
- Berezhnyi Yurii
- Bilets Petro
- Bilinskyi Zorian
- Bondarchuk Oleh
- Brus Taras (Brus)
- Bublyk Oleksandr
- Chernov Oleksandr
- Demianyk Serhii
- Denysov Dmytro
- Dremliukh Viacheslav
- Dreval Oleksii
- Driomin Yaroslav
- Dzynhel Denys
- Habchak Ivan
- Harasymchuk Ihor
- Hazhur Oleksandr
- Hladkov Andrii
- Horobynskyi Oleksandr
- Hrechanyi Oleksandr
- Hrytsyk Roman
- Huba Yakiv
- Humeniuk Mykola
- Iliashenko Roman (Opasnyi)
- Ilin Vitalii
- Ivkun Vasyl
- Kalakun Vitalii
- Kaliberda Artem
- Karabinovych Andrii
- Khomchuk Oleh
- Klevchuk Ivan
- Koldunov Yehor (Tekhas)
- Komarov Ihor
- Korol Vitalii
- Koroliuk Andrii
- Kosovchych Yurii
- Kostiuk Volodymyr
- Kotsiuk Ruslan
- Kovalenko Oleh
- Kovaliov Vladyslav
- Kravtsov Roman
- Kudenchuk Ivan
- Kulichenko Volodymyr (Liutyi)
- Kutsenov Oleksandr
- Kuzma Mykola
- Kuzmin Dmytro
- Kyforenko Borys
- Liashuk Maksym (Yar)
- Lobov Dmytro
- Lohvynenko Vasyl (Babai)
- Lototskyi Oleh
- Lykhohrud Andrii
- Makarenko Viacheslav (Student)
- Marchenko Denys
- Mazur Pavlo
- Melnyk Valerii
- Mishchyshyn Vitalii (Manki)
- Mylashchenko Vasyl
- Myroshnychenko Oleksandr
- Nazarenko Dmytro (Koval)
- Nazarenko Dmytro
- Neshcheret Serhii
- Obydiennikov Yaroslav
- Olkhovskyi Andrii
- Ostroushko Denys
- Patsyno Dmytro
- Pelypenko Dmytro (Pilot)
- Perepichka Oleh
- Pohorielov Mykhailo
- Pohorilyi Viktor
- Pohorilyi Oleksii
- Pominkevych Serhii (Chekh)
- Popel Andrii
- Poshedin Maksym
- Pospolitak Andrii
- Prokopiev Yevhen
- Remeniuk Serhii
- Revutskyi Artem
- Romanov Fedir
- Rovenskyi Dmytro
- Rozumenko Artem
- Rusin Andrii
- Saksin Andrii
- Satsiuk Oleksandr (Bilyi)
- Savchenko Roman
- Semenishchenkov Oleksandr
- Serhieiev Oleksii
- Sevostianchyk Dmytro
- Shumeiko Mykola
- Shvets Mykhailo
- Smirnov Serhii
- Solodovnik Yevhen
- Spivachuk Oleksandr
- Stoliarchuk Myroslav (Myron)
- Sukhomlyn Dmytro
- Svitlychnyi Oleksandr
- Sydorenko Serhii
- Syvyi Oleksandr (Dok)
- Tarasiuk Oleksii
- Tarasiuk Bohdan
- Titenko Volodymyr (Zvezdochet)
- Tkachuk Serhii
- Tolkachov Vitalii
- Tomilovych Denys (Den)
- Trofimov Oleksii
- Trotsenko Maksym
- Trotsenko Ihor
- Tsybenko Viktor
- Tymoshchuk Kyrylo
- Ushakov Pavlo
- Uss Stepan
- Vashchyshyn Oleh
- Vasin Mykhailo
- Vilkovskyi Volodymyr
- Vlasov Ihor
- Voichuk Oleksandr
- Voronov Serhii (Voron)
- Yablonskyi Mykola
- Yakovlev Oleh
- Yarmoliuk Oleksandr
- Yeshchenko Viktor
- Yesypok Andrii
- Yurkovets Ihor
- Zasiekin Vadym
- Zelinskyi Havryil
- Zhaivoronok Bohdan
- Zranko Dmytro
Abashyn Herman EAleksanych Oleh IAlekseienko Vadym MAndriiuk Yevhen OAtamanchuk Roman V (Dobryi)Badichenko Stanyslav SBalahlanov Pavlo YuBanas Yurii OBaranov Roman OBerezhnyi Yurii OBilets Petro VBilinskyi Zorian MBondarchuk Oleh VBrus Taras R (Brus)Bublyk Oleksandr SChernov Oleksandr ODemianyk Serhii VDenysov Dmytro MDremliukh Viacheslav ADreval Oleksii VDriomin Yaroslav PDzynhel Denys AHabchak Ivan MHarasymchuk Ihor SHazhur Oleksandr AHladkov Andrii VHorobynskyi Oleksandr SHrechanyi Oleksandr VHrytsyk Roman VHuba Yakiv MHumeniuk Mykola OIliashenko Roman I (Opasnyi)Ilin Vitalii VIvkun Vasyl DKalakun Vitalii AKaliberda Artem MKarabinovych Andrii MKhomchuk Oleh VKlevchuk Ivan VKoldunov Yehor O (Tekhas)Komarov Ihor OKorol Vitalii VKoroliuk Andrii PKosovchych Yurii IKostiuk Volodymyr MKotsiuk Ruslan VKovalenko Oleh MKovaliov Vladyslav VKravtsov Roman AKudenchuk Ivan MKulichenko Volodymyr M (Liutyi)Kutsenov Oleksandr SKuzma Mykola VKuzmin Dmytro VKyforenko Borys BLiashuk Maksym V (Yar)Lobov Dmytro OLohvynenko Vasyl V (Babai)Lototskyi Oleh MLykhohrud Andrii HMakarenko Viacheslav V (Student)Marchenko Denys MMazur Pavlo VMelnyk Valerii IMishchyshyn Vitalii A (Manki)Mylashchenko Vasyl OMyroshnychenko Oleksandr INazarenko Dmytro M (Koval)Nazarenko Dmytro ANeshcheret Serhii AObydiennikov Yaroslav MOlkhovskyi Andrii OOstroushko Denys VPatsyno Dmytro VPelypenko Dmytro M (Pilot)Perepichka Oleh HPohorielov Mykhailo APohorilyi Viktor SPohorilyi Oleksii VPominkevych Serhii P (Chekh)Popel Andrii VPoshedin Maksym VPospolitak Andrii VProkopiev Yevhen VRemeniuk Serhii SRevutskyi Artem MRomanov Fedir ARovenskyi Dmytro ORozumenko Artem ORusin Andrii MSaksin Andrii MSatsiuk Oleksandr M (Bilyi)Savchenko Roman MSemenishchenkov Oleksandr ASerhieiev Oleksii VSevostianchyk Dmytro OShumeiko Mykola MShvets Mykhailo OSmirnov Serhii HSolodovnik Yevhen OSpivachuk Oleksandr VStoliarchuk Myroslav S (Myron)Sukhomlyn Dmytro OSvitlychnyi Oleksandr HSydorenko Serhii ISyvyi Oleksandr A (Dok)Tarasiuk Oleksii VTarasiuk Bohdan VTitenko Volodymyr O (Zvezdochet)Tkachuk Serhii ATolkachov Vitalii MTomilovych Denys H (Den)Trofimov Oleksii VTrotsenko Maksym MTrotsenko Ihor ATsybenko Viktor MTymoshchuk Kyrylo VUshakov Pavlo HUss Stepan MVashchyshyn Oleh AVasin Mykhailo VVilkovskyi Volodymyr VVlasov Ihor OVoichuk Oleksandr AVoronov Serhii Ye (Voron)Yablonskyi Mykola MYakovlev Oleh MYarmoliuk Oleksandr PYeshchenko Viktor VYesypok Andrii AYurkovets Ihor VZasiekin Vadym OZelinskyi Havryil VZhaivoronok Bohdan SZranko Dmytro OKilled in action on August 29, 2014, during the exit from the Ilovaisk encirclement via the so-called "green corridor" on the road between the village of Novokaterinivka and the hamlet of Horbatenko in the Starobeshivskyi district of Donetsk region.- m. Dnipro, Krasnopilske cemetery
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