“BUBLIK”

Mykhailo Mykhailovych Nikonets (16.06.1992 — 14.05.2022) was a native of Uman, Cherkasy Oblast. He studied at the Uman City Gymnasium and Secondary School No. 5. As a child, he was energetic, restless, and very curious. He attended nearly every club his school offered and had a talent for music: he played the accordion and the sopilka, had a pleasant voice timbre, recited beautifully, and sang. He loved movement and freedom—he rode a bicycle and a skateboard, practiced parkour. After school, he enrolled in the Uman Vocational Agrarian Lyceum, where he trained as an auto repair fitter (automotive mechanic). He worked in his specialty at a vehicle service station. From the age of 18, he lived independently and was used to making decisions on his own—honestly, responsibly, and according to his conscience. Among friends since childhood, he had the nickname “Bublik,” which later became his callsign as well. His path as a defender began in 2014—with the Maidan and the volunteer movement. In November 2014, Mykhailo joined the “Azov” Regiment and served in a unit that later became the 2nd Company of the 2nd Battalion. He took part in the Pavlopil–Shyrokyne operation in February 2015, where he proved himself with dignity. In 2016, he returned to civilian life. The full-scale invasion found Mykhailo in Uman, but without hesitation he decided to return to the ranks. He carried out missions in Kyiv, Irpin, and Bucha, and then returned to Mariupol. On March 24, 2022, as part of an airborne insertion, he flew there by helicopter to reinforce his brothers-in-arms; on April 15, he was among those who managed to break through to “Azovstal.” He wrote to his mother briefly and warmly: “I’m alive, everything is fine,” “Don’t worry, I’m where I wanted to be,” and he repeated: “Everything will be Ukraine.” Squad leader, Sergeant Mykhailo Nikonets, was killed on May 14, 2022, in Mariupol, sustaining injuries incompatible with life—one month before his 30th birthday. He is remembered as kind, cheerful, fair, and someone who always came to help. We remember.