Participant in the regional “Young Person of the Year – 2026” competition “Heart of Victory” category: Anastasia Shabanets
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasia Shabanets, a native of Avdiivka, had run her own dance school, “Datura,” for six years and led the civic organization “League of Future Police Officers.”
Everything changed on February 26, 2022, when she joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Territorial Defense. At first, she patrolled her hometown of Avdiivka, delivered humanitarian aid, and maintained law and order. She later mastered the use of weapons, underwent training, and was transferred to Pokrovsk to serve as a gunner-spotter; she eventually went on to lead a section in a mortar battery.
Anastasia found her true calling as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator. She initially carried out combat missions as a pilot of a Vampire heavy drone as part of a separate Territorial Defense Brigade. After serving in a ground support team, she underwent specialized training to operate the Ukrainian Heavy Shot aerial system.
Today, Staff Sergeant Anastasia Shabanets commands the crew of the strike UAV company in the 1st Battalion of Unmanned Systems of the Special Operations Brigade. She is responsible for the logistical and combat missions of heavy drones on the front lines. In addition to her military service, Anastasia cares for animals near the front lines—she has repeatedly rescued abandoned cats from the front lines and found them new homes.