"BARD"

Stanislav Kovshar, callsign “Bard,” was a young man from Kyiv. He was initially turned away at the enlistment office due to back problems. But he did not give up. He passed the medical commission again and went to defend Ukraine. From childhood, Stas was not like everyone else. At four years old, he went on his first mountain hike with his mother. Then came dozens of routes: the Carpathians, the Caucasus, Baikal, Türkiye, Ararat, Toubkal, Spain. There, in the mountains, he grew as a man and as a person—free, deep, and responsible. He dreamed of changing the country. He studied at a humanities gymnasium and entered Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv to study sociology. He was determined not to leave Ukraine. He said: “I have to be here, because if not me—then who?” He was a guitarist, a traveler, and the kind of conversationalist who knew how to listen. He was respected for his dignity, humor, and calm—even in the sharpest situations. In the spring of 2022, he became a paramedic: he saved his brothers-in-arms, dressed wounds under fire, and left no one behind. On 10 April 2022, he sent his mother his last message: “I’m okay.” A few days later—he was wounded. He treated himself and returned to the ranks. On 15 April 2022, “Bard” was killed while covering the withdrawal of his brothers-in-arms during a crossing to Azovstal. He came under mortar fire. His comrades say he stayed with those beside him until the very end. His body has still not been returned. His family has been waiting for more than three years—without a grave, but with memory. His brothers-in-arms say: “He was one in a million.” A person with a cool mind, a clear purpose, a warm heart, and great dignity. People like “Bard” are the kind films are made about. And as long as we remember—he lives.