“MEKHANIK”

Yurii was born in the village of Triskyni in Rivne Oblast. After finishing the village school, he went to Kyiv to train as a mechanic. Cars were his element: he truly loved them and earned a living doing what he enjoyed—repairing sports racing cars. He had that rare combination of qualities: attention to detail and genuine human warmth. When the full-scale invasion began, Yurii joined the defense of Kyiv, enlisting in the 4th Company of the 131st Separate Battalion of the 112th Brigade. After that, he served in the 241st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade. Later, he transferred to the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Magura.” He served in reconnaissance. His callsign was “Mekhanik”—as if a continuation of the peaceful life he loved, but in a different reality. A fellow servicewoman remembered: “Yura was always cheerful, friendly, and brave.” Sometimes it is exactly such people—those who can ease tension with a joke and offer a steady shoulder—who become a support for others in the hardest moments. Yurii was one of them. On August 26, 2023, he turned 22. And on September 17, 2023, Yurii was killed near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast: while carrying out a mission, he came under shelling and sustained fatal wounds. Yurii was laid to rest in his native village. He is survived by his mother, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, and brothers-in-arms. “Know, my dear friend, that no matter how much time passes, we remember you. We grieve for you. We admire your valor. Your friend, Kuba.”