The project «Liubi moi»

I met Andrii in Irpin when I was studying at University of State Customs Service and he was serving in the National Guard. I was 18 and he was 21. Two years later we got married and moved to Volodymyr after graduation. Our daughter Sofia was born in Volyn. Later, we bought our own house in Volodymyr, which we had been saving for several years, but we never managed to live in it together... We discussed everything together. We were supporting each other. Who should I talk to now? I talk to him as if he were a portrait. That's all. When the full-scale war started Andriy joined the army as a volunteer and served as a senior soldier in the 63rd Brigade. During the year of full-scale war my husband came home only twice. The last time we saw each other was in December during his ten-day leave. He said, ‘I'm not worried, I have something to leave behind: you and Sofia.’ Those were his last words before he went back to war.

At the end of December Andriy was performing a combat mission in Bakhmut. In the morning on 25 December it was the last time I spoke to my beloved on the phone. Andriy died the same day.

His comrades later told me that he had managed to warn them of the danger. They called me after the funeral and said, ‘Your Andriy is a hero. Your daughter can be proud of him. He went outside, saw those murderers, informed his comrades, and thus saved them.’ He managed to warn his comrades about the danger. I feel so empty in my soul. I thought I wouldn't be able to live. But as you can see I am still alive. I have Sofia. She looks at the soldiers and asks: ‘Is dad there?’ I say, ‘No, daughter. There is no daddy there.' I told her that dad is the sun. When it shines, it's dad who warms us."

Bohdan Bahurynskyi was born on 14 March 1979 in the village of Pershotravensk, Zhytomyr region. He graduated from the local school. Then he received a degree in tractor driving at Polonsk Vocational School No 35. But he did not work in the profession. He lost his father when he was a teenager, so he learnt everything in life on his own: he could build a house, do all the internal work, install heating and plumbing. He didn't shy away from work, he quickly learned new things. He especially liked working with wood. Fishing was his greatest pleasure and his greatest relaxation. He loved to take care of his garden. He grafted every young tree by himself. He grew about ten grape bushes of different varieties. In autumn, he made wine from the grape harvest and experimented with different flavours. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Bohdan joined the local territorial defence. He patrolled the streets and was on duty at checkpoints. Later, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as an assistant grenade launcher in the 30th separate mechanised brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi. He fought in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.

He died on 21 September 2022 in a battle on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. During an enemy tank shelling he sustained an explosive injury, shrapnel head wounds and numerous fractures of the upper limbs. He died of his injuries during evacuation to a medical unit. He was 43 years old at the time of his death.

Bohdan Bahurynskyi was posthumously awarded the distinction ‘For Services to Novohrad-Volynskyi District’.

Oleksandr was born on 20 October 1985 in the city of Jetigara, Kustanay region, Kazakhstan. At the age of five the family moved to Volochysk, Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine. His parents divorced and he was raised by his mother. From 1992 to 1999 he studied at Volochysk Secondary School No 5. He was a diligent student and did well in his studies. When Oleksandr finished the 7th grade his mother went abroad to Italy. Sasha stayed with his grandmother who brought him up in the village and he went to the 8th grade there. From 1999 to 2001 he studied at Polyansk Secondary School. From 2001 to 2004 he studied at the Volochysk Vocational Lyceum, where he received a degree in turning. After graduation he worked at enterprises Agrobusiness LLC as a baker, Motor Sich and Agrarian Company 2004. In 2009 he married his beloved wife Marina, and in 2011 they gave birth to a son David. He has worked abroad since 2018. When the full-scale war began he returned to Ukraine to defend his homeland. On 3 June 2022 he was conscripted for military service.

Oleksandr died on 29 March 2023 near the village of Snihurivka, Mykolaiv region, during the demining of the territory. Oleksandr was awarded the Order for Courage III class by a decree of the President of Ukraine. Awards: ‘Honour and Pride of Volochysk Community’, “Courage and Victory”.

 

Meeting story

My husband and I met in 2004 at a friend's birthday party. Sasha offered to take me home. The next day we started dating. I was in the 9th grade at the time. He kept jokingly saying that we would get married and that he would be waiting for me. And I kept saying, ‘Okay, okay...’ After school I went to study at Chortkiv Medical College to become a pharmacist. After graduation I returned to my hometown and started working. A year later in 2009 Sasha proposed to me and we got married. In 2011 our son David was born. He was very happy and proud of his son and his every new achievement. Sasha was a loving, good father and husband. We dreamed of buying our own house, because we were renting an apartment. My husband wanted his family to live in prosperity, so he started travelling abroad to work. The money we both earned was not enough, we had a child who was often sick, who needed to be dressed, taken to kindergarten and then to school, and so on, without mentioning the utility bills. And then in 2022 when the war started, my son and I were at home and he was in Hungary. My husband asked us to leave, he wanted to protect us, he wanted us to be safe. But he came to defend his homeland, he considered that to be his duty. We stayed with him and supported him. My son and I were very worried about him, we used to end every conversation with the phrase, ‘Daddy, we love you very much, promise us that you will come back alive and with a victory’. And he kept laughing and saying, ‘Only this way.' And those were his last words, we talked to him the last night, and in the morning he was gone. A year has passed, but we still can't accept that he is gone. We love him and miss him so much.

Hello, my name is Alina and I’m a wife of a hero Yevhenii Romanenko and a mom to two incredible sons who give me the strength to live further. Now my beloved husband is an angel and protects us from the heaven, we love him deeply and remember him as long as we live, we do praise the sacrifice he did so we could live in our country.  We started dating in 2007… then he was drafted to the army and I was waiting for him… then we started living together and got married. In 2012 we had our first son and the war broke out in 2014 and my husband went to fight for our independence and took active part in defence of the Donetsk Airport, Avdiivka, Opytneand other places. We were waiting for him and working for his safety all the time .. then retired back home and we were incredibly happy… After this in 2016 we had our second son and our dad went back to war … that was our life.. I’m telling our boys that their dad is a real hero and we are still waiting for him at home…

After the full scale invasion he has already been at war and asked us to go to Poland with kids for their sake and we didn’t manage to see him and he was killed on the sixth of September 2022 near Izum Kharkiv region, closer to village Verbivka…

We are immensely proud of his fight and sacrifice… he wanted to see boys so much but didn’t manage to do it… We dreamed to travel together so much … and now we will carry the memory about his life and him till the end of our lives…  He is our true hero and deserves the highest honour.

Master Sergeant Zherebetskyi Taras Petrovych (call sign "Bartender") was born in Chervonohrad, Lviv region, where he graduated from school. After that he moved to Lviv. He studied at the Lviv Academy of Printing, was engaged in landscaping, worked in the service sector. In 2014 he was conscripted and took part in combat operations during the ATO. He defended Luhansk airport. He received many awards. On the first day of the full-scale invasion he went to the very centre of hell to defend his family and homeland. He fought as a member of the 80th Air Assault Brigade. He was a senior sergeant and commander of a fire support unit. He rescued many of his comrades. He was respected and trusted.

He died on 18 July 2022 near the village of Spirne, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region while saving his wounded comrades from enemy shelling. He would have celebrated his 35th birthday in September. He was awarded the Order for Courage 3rd Class during his lifetime, and the Order for Courage 2nd Class posthumously.

He was buried in Lviv on the field of honorary burials ‘Mars Field’. Our family was the happiest... We got married in 2009. We raised two beautiful children. Maksym is now 13 years old and Katrusia has recently celebrated her 6th birthday. Maksym is finishing the 8th grade. He is a very smart and good boy. He plays water polo and participates in various Ukrainian and international championships with his team. He dreams of developing his own computer game and travelling to America and Japan. Kateryna is preparing for school and will start school in September. She is a dancer, she loves to draw, she is a very creative, cheerful and friendly girl.