Дмитро Олександрович. Бендик

Senior Soldier Dmytro Bendyk was killed on January 31, 2023, during the defense of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. The warrior was 43 years old. Dmytro was born in the village of Dibrivne, Chernihiv region. He studied at the local school. Then he graduated from the Chernihiv Regional Pedagogical Lyceum for Gifted Rural Youth. In 1999, he obtained a degree in biology teaching at the Chernihiv Pedagogical University. After graduation, he served in the military, and a year later, he decided to stay in the army and signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2003, he was discharged. He was passionate about technology and car repair. In 2020, Dmytro returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He signed a contract with the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians. He held the position of senior mechanic-driver. He participated in the Joint Forces Operation in Donbas. With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the man continued to defend Ukraine from the occupiers. He took part in the battles in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. Later, his unit was moved to another hot spot. "Dmytro was a bright person. He was loved by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, colleagues, and comrades-in-arms. Dima said that for them, there on the battlefield, it was very important to know that they had a strong rear. He always smiled, joked, and promised to bring home a victory," wrote the deceased's fellow villager Valentyna Chorna. "Loyalty to the oath and his people was above all else for Dmytro. Like his comrades-in-arms, he dreamed of seeing his native land free, peaceful, and flourishing. So that children would be born on it, so that strong-willed and physically strong people would grow up on it, so that they would work and make it successful. He did everything he could and even more for this. Eternal memory and honor to you, Hero... Light clouds to you, Warrior," the Horodnia City Council noted. The defender was buried in his native village. Dmytro is survived by his parents, wife, and two children.