Sergeant Denis Kravchenko died on March 26, 2022, in Mariupol when one of the Russian aerial bombs hit the command and observation post “Hvylia” near the Azovstal metallurgical plant. Now the soldier is forever 38 years old.
Denis was born in the city of Horlivka. He was orphaned at the age of 15; his parents were disabled and died early. He later lost his brother as well. He managed to obtain two higher education degrees: in law from the Horlivka branch of the Open International University of Human Development “Ukraine” and from the Kyiv University of Market Relations.
From November 2001 to April 2003, he did his military service. In his hometown, he worked at the Michurinsk Penal Colony No. 57. From August 2015, he served in the State Criminal-Executive Service: he was the head of the regime and security department at the Mariupol Pre-Trial Detention Center.
In November 2021, Denis joined the ranks of the 12th Operational Brigade named after Dmytro Vyshnevetskyi. He held the position of commander of the third section of the first rifle platoon of the rifle company for escorting the extradition of defendants of the battalion of the same name.
At 4 a.m. on February 24, 2022, Denys stopped by his home to pick up his emergency bag. He told his wife that war was about to break out. After that, he only saw his family once. On March 7, he brought home several dry rations because the stores in the city were no longer open. He hugged his wife and daughter, told them he loved them very much, and left for his position. It was their last meeting.
“He was very fair and righteous, often even strict. He was also moral and strong-willed. He was responsible for his actions and words. He was not afraid of war or fighting. He knew exactly why he was doing it. He was always a patriot and wanted victory as soon as possible,” said his wife Oksana.
In early March, the unit was redeployed from the military unit to Azovstal. Denys held the defense at the Hvylia command and observation post, set up on the territory of the Nash Kutok hotel complex and the water station near the plant.
“The last time I was able to contact my husband was on March 25. And on March 27, the deputy commander of the unit wrote to me that Denis had been killed in an air strike the day before. He was a week away from his 39th birthday,” said Oksana.
During his lifetime, Denys Kravchenko was awarded the medals “10 Years of Conscientious Service” and “15 Years of Conscientious Service,” and posthumously, the Order “For Courage” III degree.
The soldier was buried on April 5, 2024, in the Walk of Fame at the Krasnopil Cemetery in Dnipro.
He is survived by his wife Oksana and daughter Emilia.
At 9:00 a.m., there will be a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional State Administration and the Heroes Memorial platform will commemorate the fallen defenders from Donetsk Oblast.