Participant of the regional contest "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the nomination "Unbroken: The Strength of Spirit and Valor of the Donetsk Region" Danylo Ohanov
I was born and raised in the city of Druzhkivka. Since my teens, I have been passionate about sports: I was involved in mountaineering, powerlifting, and football, where I played as a goalkeeper for the Druzhkivka football club. In general, I dreamed of becoming a professional football player, but the events of 2013 changed my views on my future. I wanted to be useful to my country and to protect what is most precious—people.
At 16, I couldn't go and defend the country, so I made a plan of action for the next 7 years. First, I decided to get an education at the Machine-Building Technical College in Druzhkivka and at the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering in Rivne, and then to join the Air Assault Forces under contract. I chose this branch of the military because I was attracted to heights and extreme sports, and also because there were already family members who had defended our country in the Air Assault Forces, which motivated me even more.
My plan worked. In September 2017, I joined the 81st separate Slobozhanska Air Assault Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From the fall of 2018 to the spring of 2019, I performed combat missions in the Luhansk region. This is where my path as a warrior began.
At the end of September 2020, my contract expired, so I decided to demobilize to help my family develop their agricultural enterprise and support the military on a volunteer basis. I returned to normal life.
On February 24, 2022, at 4:30 a.m., I woke up at home to explosions and immediately realized that Russia's full-scale invasion had begun. I didn't think at all about what to do next, because on that same day at 12:00 p.m., I packed my things and rejoined my brigade where I had previously served.
Together with my brigade, we held the defense on the Izium and Sviatohirsk fronts. After the liberation of the Kharkiv region from the Russian invaders, our brigade was transferred to the defense of the Siversk front. But after 2 weeks of defense, I received a severe injury to my left leg and was evacuated to the hospital. For half a year, doctors fought for my life because the wound was infected. After 19 operations, the limb began to heal and the rehabilitation process began.
I still wanted to return to duty and defend the country from the aggressor with my brothers-in-arms. And I returned to my brigade, where I was sent for a repeat military medical commission. There, I was deemed partially fit and unfit for the Air Assault Forces. But I wasn't going to quit serving in my unit and signed a document expressing my desire to stay, and I continued my military path.
Six months later, I was wounded again, which caused my health to deteriorate significantly, and I could no longer perform combat missions. I didn't want to let my brothers-in-arms down, so I decided to leave the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
But despite all these trials, I didn't give up and continued to work at the family agricultural enterprise and to help the military and civilians as a volunteer.
I am currently trying to adapt to civilian life and actively participate in veteran events. For almost two months, I underwent training in the project "Leadership for the Restoration of the Donetsk Region," where I presented my project "Grain of Hope: Restoration of the Novohryhorivske LLC Agricultural Enterprise" of the Druzhkivka community.
Throughout my military career, I found meaning in life and support from Jesus Christ, my parents, my family, my girlfriend, and my friends. Thanks to them, I had to live, fight, and not give up then and now. I did everything possible to protect my country and not let the aggressor destroy our state.