"SOKIL"

Senior Soldier Mykola Zhydkov, call sign Sokil, was killed on June 1, 2023, near the settlement of Novodonetske in Donetsk Oblast. While carrying out a combat mission, he sustained fatal wounds during enemy artillery fire. On June 23, the brave Defender would have turned 22. Mykola was born in Kropyvnytskyi. He studied at local School No. 7. From childhood, he played sports. His main passion was football. He trained at a sports school and showed strong results, which influenced his future. Later he became a professional footballer and played for various teams. In 2020, he signed a contract with the Polish football club Węgrzcanka Węgrzce Wielkie and from then on lived and worked in Poland. With the start of the full-scale war, Mykola decided to pause his career and return to Ukraine to defend it. He did exactly that. He became a fighter in the 3rd Special Operations Regiment of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as a senior operator and bravely carried out complex tasks on the front line. “I’ve known Mykola since we were 13. He was a true patriot. There isn’t a person who could say anything bad about him,” said Danylo Kravchenko. “Miki was a very sweet and polite guy—there wasn’t anyone who knew him and didn’t like him. When he stepped onto the field, he fought with all his strength to bring his team victory, and when it came to fighting for his country’s freedom, he sacrificed his own life. We will miss you, friend, but we will never forget you,” the Polish football club wrote on its page. The young warrior was laid to rest on the Alley of Glory at the Dalekoskhidne Cemetery in his hometown. In the village of Sokolivske in Kirovohrad Oblast, a street was renamed in honor of Mykola Zhydkov. Mykola is survived by his parents, grandmother, sister, girlfriend, loyal friends, and brothers-in-arms.