u/dracony

Deleted previous post because I found a newer story.

The culprit is already arrested.

On this day in July 2014, russia-backed orcs killed 16 yo. Stepan Chubenko. The goalkeeper and pro-Ukraine activist from Kramatorsk, he supported Euromaidan, helped Ukrainian troops, and openly opposed the russian occupation.

Militants detained him in Donetsk on July 23, tortured him for days, then shot him on July 29 and buried his body.

It was found only in late September 2014. His mother saw and identified her son for the first time during the exhumation on October 3, 2014.

Vadim Pogodin, ex-commander of the russia-backed Kerch battalion, got life in absentia for Stepan Chubenko's murder. Yet he was freed in occupied Donetsk in 2023 and joined russia's army in late 2024.

In 2025, Chubenko was posthumously named a Hero of Ukraine

Four years ago, the russian occupiers committed a horrific war crime—the mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka.

This cynical act of terror will never be forgotten and will not go unpunished.

We honor the memory of all Ukrainian service members and civilians whose lives were cut short in russian prisons due to torture and inhumane conditions.

Our people remain in russian captivity. Bringing all defenders and civilians home is an absolute priority and a daily effort. We are fighting for every single person, and we will not stop until everyone has been freed from captivity.

Eternal memory to the fallen heroes.

Junior Sergeant Serhii Kaminchuk, call sign Kama, fell on November 8, 2025, in the village of Shakhove, Donetsk Oblast. The warrior is forever 29. One more Hero killed by russian orcs.

Serhii was born on February 21, 1996, in Zhytomyr. He studied at the Zhytomyr Institute of IAPM. He was an athlete and won many awards. He worked as a general laborer.

During the full-scale war, he served as the commander of a reconnaissance squad in the 132nd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion.

“He was a bright and positive person. I do not know how to go on living without him. But I know for certain that I will always love him,” wrote his wife Veronika.

Serhii was awarded the badge “War Veteran — Combatant.”

The warrior was buried on the Alley of Glory in Zhytomyr.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and parents.

Anatolii Shevchuk 3rd Separate Assault Brigade

Sergeant Anatolii Shevchuk, call sign ANT, fell on November 7, 2024, in the village of Raihorodka, Luhansk Oblast. He suffered a fatal wound during a combat mission. The warrior was 48 years old. One more Hero killed by russian orcs.

Anatolii was born on January 28, 1976, in Zaporizhzhia. He graduated from a local school and started a family. His loved ones recall that from then on, he did everything he could to be a support and protection for those close to him and to provide them with a dignified future. At the age of 24, he moved to Kharkiv, a city he sincerely loved. He ran his own business.

Sport played an important role in Anatolii’s life. He played handball at a sports school, and from his youth he was passionate about boxing. Sport hardened his body, and life’s trials hardened his character. He always strove to be stronger and better for the sake of those he loved and for whom he felt responsible.

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Anatolii joined the defense of Ukraine without hesitation. He took part in the liberation of Kharkiv Oblast. Later, he passed on his combat experience as an instructor, but in 2023 he returned to the front line again, joining the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. As a squad commander in the 3rd Company of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion, he fought on the Donetsk and Luhansk fronts. He held the defense in Avdiivka. Despite being wounded, he returned to the ranks each time. His call sign ANT means “oath” in a Turkic language.

“My father sincerely loved nature, finding peace, inspiration, and inner balance in it. In the memory of his family and loved ones, he will forever remain a man of honor, strength, and deep devotion to his family, his homeland, and the cause of protecting life and the future. For our family, the loss of our father is the most painful. For us, he always was and will remain the dearest person, our support, an example of strength, kindness, honor, and dignity,” wrote his daughter Yevheniia.

For his service, Anatolii was awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class.

The defender was buried in Kharkiv.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Twenty-one-year-old Lieutenant Oleksandr Malanchuk, call sign Charlie, fell on April 1, 2020, in the village of Talakivka, Mariupol District, Donetsk Oblast. During enemy shelling of positions, the soldier suffered a fatal wound. One more Hero killed by russian orcs.

Oleksandr was born on September 26, 1998, in the city of Chernivtsi. He graduated from the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. He was a career officer.

He played for the youth team of FC Bukovyna and received an offer to move to a team in the capital, but with the beginning of the russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, he gave up a football career and decided to become a soldier.

Oleksandr served in the 8th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss.” He was a platoon commander.

“Brave, courageous, free. That was my son Oleksandr. A young officer at 21, after taking command of his unit, he immediately earned the respect and love of his subordinates. There were soldiers in the unit much older than him, but within a short time they were already addressing him by his patronymic. Fair, honest, and fearless, he never humiliated his subordinates and always stood firmly by them, understanding his responsibility for every life. The soldiers said they had confidence in him,” wrote his mother, Larysa Malanchuk.

The defender was buried on the Alley of Glory in the city of Chernivtsi.

Posthumously, the warrior was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd Class, the medal “For the Glory of Chernivtsi,” and the distinction “For Merit to Bukovyna.”

Oleksandr is survived by his mother Larysa, father Vasyl, sister Olha, and nephews Nadiia and Davyd.

Thirty-five-year-old Captain Serhii Mushchytskyi fell on May 7, 2022, near the city of Vylkove, Odesa Oblast. He was aboard a Mi-14 helicopter conducting search-and-rescue operations near the mouth of the Danube as part of the operation to de-occupy Zmiinyi Island. The occupiers struck the helicopter with an R-73 guided missile. One more Hero killed by russian orcs.

Serhii was born on February 5, 1987, in the village of Kostyrka, Kherson Oblast, and grew up in the settlement of Vysokopillia, Beryslav District. He was the eldest child in the family and had a younger brother. Their mother worked at the military enlistment office, so the boys had chosen their future professions since childhood. “Serhii’s desire to fly was strengthened by the fact that his great-grandfather had been a pilot, a Hero of the Second World War. My son said: ‘Someone has to continue the work in the family tree,’” said his mother, Olena Oleksandrivna. Serhii graduated from the Sloviansk Vocational College of the National Aviation University. He then studied at the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University. He combined his higher education with service in the Saky Naval Aviation Brigade. After the annexation of Crimea, the unit was redeployed to Mykolaiv and renamed the 10th Saky Naval Aviation Brigade. Serhii flew as part of crews on different types of helicopters. He took part in the ATO/JFO. Twice, he participated in military parades for Ukraine’s Independence Day. “He was a professional in his field: he knew the logistics of regular flights well and always prepared for flights to unfamiliar places. He was sociable and could come to an agreement with anyone. He was always warmly welcomed. People would say: ‘The redhead has arrived’ or ‘Seryoha the helicopter pilot is here,’” said his wife Diana. The couple met in 2015, while they were both serving. Two years later, their daughter Anastasiia was born. Serhii planned to build a house and open his own cargo transportation business. “He was a loving husband and father. Nastia could twist him around her little finger. As for cars, they were his passion. He could assemble and disassemble any mechanism. Whatever he took on, he always achieved his goal,” his wife said. From the first day of the full-scale invasion, Serhii carried out missions as part of the crew of a Mi-14 helicopter, and from March he held the position of onboard aviation technician-instructor. On May 6, 2022, he registered his marriage to his beloved Diana through Diia. “After receiving the marriage certificate, I called him on video. We congratulated each other and agreed that we would celebrate when we met. The next day, I received a text message: ‘Good morning, wife!’ But he never read my message, and he did not answer my calls,” she recalled. The defender was awarded the distinction “For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation,” the badges “ATO Participant” and “War Veteran,” the medal “Participant of the Military Parade,” and posthumously, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd Class. Serhii Mushchytskyi and Colonel Ihor Bedzai, who were killed in the same helicopter, were buried in Mykolaiv on May 7, 2022.