At least 1,338 soldiers killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrain​e’s  military report the airport remains under the control of ​the Ukrainian army, although agree the air traffic control tower of the airport​ was destroyed by pro-Russian forces on Jan. 13.​ ​Andriy Lysenko, ​a military ​spokesman, said Kremlin-backed insurgents opened fire on Ukrainian army ​positions ​more than 129 times during Jan. 14.

​More than 60 Ukrainian fighters have been killed​ since Dec. 9, ​according to ​a​ Kyiv Post count​ ​based on​ official reports​, unofficial sources and the families of the victims.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported some 118 civilians were killed during the time. 13​  people were killed after a Grad missile launcher firing from separatist-controlled territory hit a passenger bus near a Ukrainian-controlled checkpoint close to the town of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 13.

Moreover, some 4,808 civilians have been killed and more than 10,468 wounded as of Jan. 9, according to the United Nations.

 

The following is the list of those known to be killed through Dec. 12- Jan 14:

Dec. 12

Ihor Slyvka, 37, a solider of Azov volunteer battalion from Volyn Oblast. Slyvka was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. He volunteered to the war front in September. He leaves his wife and two twin sons in a city of Lutsk. Slyvka’s comrades recalled he “was a quiet, but proud man.” “He volunteered to the east in order to defend each of us, it was a wake up call, so we won’t stay indifferent,” his comrade Volodymyr Bodnar said during the funeral in Lutsk on Dec. 14.

Ihor Beloshytskiy, 26, Azov Battalion fighter from Kyiv. Beloshytskiy volunteered to battalion in September. He died while defending Pavlopil village, Andriy Biletskiy, former Azov Battalion member turned lawmaker said during the funeral in Kyiv on Dec. 15. He leaves his mother in Kyiv.

 

Dec. 15

Vitaliy Lashkul, 43, a soldier of engineer unit of 57th mechanized brigade. He used to work as a miner in Kirovohrad Oblast, before he was mobilized to the east of the country in September. Lashkul was killed in grenade explosion in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a daughter in a Smoline village in Kirovohrad Oblast.

 

Dec. 18

Yuriy Hrachov, 39, a soldier from Kyiv Oblast. He used to be an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. Hrachov was a combat engineer, he also developed the first martial charges for drones. He died while on combat mission.

Serhiy Ovrashko, 38, a member of Aidar volunteer battalion from Khmelnytska Oblast. He used to work as a construction worker in Boryspil in Kyiv Oblast. After the EuroMAidan Revolution he sold his possessions and bought military equipment for Aidar Battalion fighters. Then he became a member of the battalion himself. He was wounded in August, but came back to the war front after the treatment. Ovrashko was killed in an ambush near a city of Shchastia close to Luhansk.

Oleksandr Grigolashvili, 32, a member of Aidar volunteer battalion. Grigolashvili, Georgian native, moved to Ukraine some months ago. He spent three months in the war zone. He was killed in an ambush near a city of Shchastia close to Luhansk. Grigolashvili leaves a wife and two children.

 

Dec. 19

Oleksandr Lupaina, 33, a soldier of the 3rd tank battalion Zvirobiy. He used to work as a driver and then was mobilized to the army in October. He was killed during the mortar attack near the city of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and 9-year-old son in Kyiv.

 Dec. 25

Petro Andrunyk, 32, Ukrainian National Guard soldier. He volunteered to the army in September. He planned to get married on Jan. 1, but was killed on Bakhmutka highway in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves his parents and fiancé in Ternopil Oblast.

 Dec. 28

Dmytro Astrakov, 20, Azov volunteer battalion member from Dnipropetrovsk. He was a local EuroMaidan activist and then started helping soldiers in the east. Astrakov used to help Azov battalion until he became a member of battalion himself. He was severely wounded when Russia-backed separatists opened fire on the checkpoint near Mariupol. Astrakov died later in the hospital.

 

Dec. 29

Oleksiy Durmasenko, 25, from Kyiv. Durmasenko used to work as a landscape designer in Rublyovka, unofficial name of a prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow. He came back to Kyiv when the EuroMaidan Revolution started in November 2013. After the revolution he volunteered to the army. Apparently he was one of those fighters who put Ukrainian flag on the air traffic control tower at Donetsk airport, that was destroyed by Russia-backed separatists on Jan. 13. Durmasenko leaves his parents and two sisters in Kyiv.

Serhiy Abryutin, 31, a soldier of the 93rd mechanized brigade. He was killed when Russia-backed separatists opened fire near Pisky village in Donetsk Oblast. His comrades recalled Abryutin was “a man of his word.” He leaves a wife and a 5–year-old son in his native Sumy city.

Dec. 31

Ivan Andrukhiv, 27, a soldier of the 14th mechanized from Lviv. He was wounded in December and came home for a treatment. He died in Lviv military hospital overnight Dec. 31. He was the only son in his family.

Jan 1

Lyubomyr Podfedko, 27, a soldier of the 80th airborne brigade from Lviv Oblast. “He was very reliable and attentive young man,” Natalia Derzhylo, his school teacher, was quoted as saying. “No one ever complained about him,” Derzhylo told the local newspaper. Podfedko was mobilized to the army in August. He went to defend Donetsk airport on Dec. 23 and was killed when Russia-backed separatists attacked the building of the airport overnight Jan. 1. Podfedko was the youngest of his four brothers. He leaves his parents in his native Demnya village in Lviv Oblast.

 

Jan 6

Serhiy Verbytskiy, 38, a soldier of 128 mechanized brigade from Zakarpattia Oblast. He was wounded on Dec. 31 near Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast and then was sent in one of the Kharkiv city hospitals. He died some days later. Verbytskiy leaves a wife and two sons in his native Mukacheve in Zakarpattia Oblast.

Volodymyr Tereshchenko, 57, a soldier of the 80th airborne brigade. He was an activist of Odesa city local self-defense unit, he volunteered to the east. He was a Praviy Sektor nationalist organization member and his comrades recalled he was more energetic then young people. Tereshchenko was killed near Pisky village close to Donetsk airport.

Jan 7

Pavlo Bas, 26, a member of Azov volunteer battalion. He had been serving in the east of Ukraine since October. Bas used to be one of the active “ultras” soccer fans movement. “He was incredibly cheerful serviceman,” one of his comrades was quoted as saying. Bas was killed during the shelling near Hranitne village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his parents, a sister and brothers.

Jan 8

Leonid Knysh, 29, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Odesa Oblast. He was killed during the shelling near Olenivka village in Donetsk Oblast while trying to rescue his wounded comrade. Knysh leaves a wife, a 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

Serhiy Popyk, 27, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Odesa. He was killed during the shelling near Olenivka village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his parents and a sister in Odesa.

Leo Sjöholm, 31, a member of Azov volunteer battalion from Sweden. He joined the battalion in summer 2014 and was involved in training younger comrades. In one of his interviews he said that he came to Ukraine “because he loved Ukrainian people and he feels there is a good ending waiting for the country.” Sjöholm said his mother didn’t back his decision to go to Ukraine first, but still supports her son, as he was quoted as saying. He died because of car accident while on operational task near Berdyansk.

 

Jan 9

Roman Hrytsenko, 34, a soldier from Kyiv Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in September. Hrytsenko was killed by a sniper near Shchastia town in Luhansk Oblast. He leaves a wife and two children in his native Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskiy in Kyiv Oblast.

Andriy Sokolenko, a soldier of the 34th Batkivshyna defense battalion. He used to work as a taxi driver in Kyiv, but volunteered to the army as soon as the anti-terrorist operation started in the east. He was a fair and courageous serviceman, according to his comrades. “He was like a real knight,” Sokolenko’s comrade, Roman, was quoted as saying during the mourning. “He managed to get everything his comrades needed. And liked to spend time repairing things.” He was mortally wounded by artillery strike near Debaltsevo in August and then was sent for a treatment to Kyiv military hospital. He died after 12 surgeries in Kyiv on Jan. 9. He leaves his son in Kyiv.

Roman Lahno, 37, Ukrainian National Guard soldier from Lviv Oblast. Lahno was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. His friends recalled he spent most of the winter in Kyiv with 10th self-defense unit that was patrolling Maidan Nezalezhnosti.  Oksana Vasylkova, who used to know Lahno, recalled he saw him on Dec. 8 – when a group of her compatriots was leaving for Donbas. “It was a last time I saw him,” Vasylkova told the Kyiv Post. “It always seemed to me that he was a kind and responsible man, who you can turn to every moment you are in need. And he was sincere man – because he used to tell everything openly.” Lahno was killed in an ambush near Stanytsia Luhanska. He leaves a wife and 11-year-old son.

Roman Furyk, 51, Ukrainian National Guard soldier, former police officer. He went to Kyiv when the EuroMaidan Revolution started in November 2013. Then Furyk volunteered to the east, he was involved in the fight for the city of Sloviansk. He was killed in an ambush near Stanytsia Luhanska in Luhansk Oblast. Furyk leaves a wife and two sons in his native Kolomyya in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Oleh Sydor, 37, a member of Azov volunteer battalion. He was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter. He was killed while patrolling his checkpoint in Luhansk Oblast. Sydor leaves a wife and two children in Kendereshovo village in Zakarpattia Oblast.

Jan 10

Andriy Petrushenko, 30, a soldier from Kaniv in Kyiv Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in mid-August. Petrushenko was killed during the shelling at the checkpoint near Gorlivka in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his parents, a wife and a child.

Jan 12

Yaroslav Chomko, 30, a volunteer reservist of the medical unit of Ukrainian National Guard from Ivano Frankivsk. Chomko spent most of his last winter helping medical unit on Maidan Nezalezhnosti during the EuroMaidan Revolution. Then  volunteered to the war zone. Iryna Gladka, Chomko’s classmate, recalls he was “kind and sincere young man.” He was mortally wounded near a city of Artemivsk in Donetsk Oblast.

Kyiv Post staff writer Olena Goncharova can be reached at goncharova@kyivpost.com