Senior Soldier Oleksandr Kukharchuk, call sign “Panda,” was killed on April 17, 2024, near the village of Netailove. He sustained a fatal blast injury while carrying out a combat mission. He was 42 years old.
Oleksandr was born in Donetsk. In 1999, he graduated with honors from the Donetsk Economic College, majoring in Accounting. He later earned a higher education degree at the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after Mykhailo Tugan-Baranovsky, where he continued to work as a lecturer. Later, he became a private entrepreneur. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a CNC operator at an LG washing machine manufacturing plant in Wroclaw.
He was actively engaged in public life, enjoyed football and tennis, and loved traveling.
With the start of the full-scale war, Oleksandr returned from abroad and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He initially served in military unit A1451, and later transferred to the 79th Separate Air Assault Regiment 'Hertsi' (military unit A7788). He served as a senior sapper in the engineering platoon of an airborne battalion.
For his service, he was awarded the distinctions “Iron Cross” and “Cross of the Air Assault Forces.”
His partner, Olena Pankratova, recalled:
“Sasha was a достойна людина with a strong sense of justice. Extremely caring in his family. He cared about the fate of others. A progressive and compassionate person, he always took part in environmental initiatives, explained to children the importance of recycling and water conservation, understood the value of natural resources, and advocated for environmental rights. He had zero tolerance for corruption.”
Oleksandr was laid to rest at the Mars Field at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.
He is survived by his beloved partner and her daughter.
At 9:00 a.m. — the nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration, together with the Memorial Platform of Heroes, honors residents of Donetsk region killed by Russian aggression.