"WHISKEY"

He was born in Lvivshchyna, in a picturesque Carpathian village. He loved the mountains deeply and spent time there whenever he could. His favorite subject at school was history. Even as a schoolboy, he always took part in various patriotic training camps. He participated in searches for and reburials of victims of the First and Second World Wars. He took part in reenactments of the battles for Makivka, the battles near Brody, and many others. While still at school, Vladyslav completed courses in tactical medicine and shooting, and helped his mother with volunteering. At the last school bell, when students launched balloons with wishes into the sky, Vlad wrote that he dreamed of defending Ukraine from the enemy. After graduating from the gymnasium, he entered Lviv Polytechnic, where he received a master’s degree in Law and a master’s degree in Educational and Pedagogical Sciences. He also studied at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. In December 2021, Vladyslav completed his studies, and in January he was preparing to start work at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). A month later, the full-scale invasion began. When his mother asked him to help her with volunteering—saying that experienced warriors should be the ones to go to war—Vlad replied: “Mom, what will I one day tell my children? Where was I when there was a war? And who, if not me—motivated and prepared—should be in the army?” When the full-scale invasion began, on 25 February 2022, Vlad was already at the enlistment office, insistently asking to join the airborne troops. Several times he was taken in, and then sent home again. On 20 March, Vlad went to Odesa for advanced training courses for officers. After completing the courses, Vlad ranked among the top 10 officers (out of 300) deemed able to take command. He immediately received the rank of lieutenant. After the courses, Vladyslav was appointed an instructor at a training center in Zhytomyr, where he trained new recruits. But he did not want to stay there for long—he asked to be assigned to a combat unit so he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his brothers-in-arms. He was then assigned to the 46th Air Assault Brigade, where he was first appointed platoon commander and later company commander. The unit took part in battles for the liberation of Khersonshchyna on the Inhulets bridgehead, where fierce fighting continued. On 23 September, the company of the young commander “WHISKEY” successfully crossed the Inhulets River and repelled the enemy’s first line of defense. But in a heavy battle, the young commander was killed. Vladyslav Palenychka was posthumously awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd Class. In his hometown of Stryi, a mural was created in honor of the young airborne soldier with the callsign WHISKEY, who volunteered to defend his native land—showing unbreakable strength of spirit, boundless courage, and unwavering devotion to Ukraine. Vladyslav Palenychka is a symbol of our nation—the embodiment of resilience and a free spirit. Recently, Ukrposhta issued a postage stamp featuring Vladyslav Palenychka. May the memory of the young commander live forever in our hearts.