Senior Seaman Volodymyr Davydenko, callsign "Walter," was killed on May 4, 2022, in Mariupol at the depot of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. He was 31 years old.
Volodymyr Davydenko was born in Krasnohorivka. He earned a degree in marketing from the Tugan-Baranovsky Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade and worked as a private entrepreneur.
"Vovchyk—that's how he's still saved in my phone—was our only child. He grew up as an ordinary boy. He loved music and adored animals: we had German Shepherds in the yard and a mixed-breed dog named Toshka in the house. For a while he was passionate about boxing, but after a year he decided to stop training, even though he had great potential in the sport," his father, Ihor, recalled.
After the war began in 2014, most of the family's property was damaged, and Volodymyr moved to Kropyvnytskyi. There he met Veronika, whom he later married, and worked at a bar.
Although he had previously been declared unfit for military service, Volodymyr voluntarily went to the military enlistment office in October 2016 and signed his first three-year contract with Military Unit A0666.
"Military service is my calling. I know exactly what I'm choosing," he told his family.
Serving with the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Walter carried out combat missions in the Donetsk region, defending Krasnohorivka, Marinka, and Novomykhailivka.
On November 1, 2021, he signed a contract with the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi (Military Unit A2802), where he served as a gunner in an air assault unit.
At the end of 2021, the brigade was redeployed from Mykolaiv to Mariupol, where Volodymyr and his fellow Marines faced the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
After successfully breaking through to Azovstal together with his comrades, Volodymyr was awarded the Order for Courage, Third Class. He was later posthumously awarded the Honor. Glory. State Medal.
"Oleh Koramov, my son's commander, later described in an interview how he died. He spoke about how they held positions at the Azovstal steel plant—at locations known as 'Pipe,' 'Uran,' and 'Lotus.' He also said that Volodymyr was a positive person and a dependable soldier. No matter where he was assigned or what mission he was given, he always carried it out, regardless of what was happening around him," his father shared.
The defender of Mariupol was laid to rest at the Alley of Honor at the Dalekoskhidne Cemetery in Kropyvnytskyi.
He is survived by his wife, daughter, mother, and father.
At 9:00 a.m., Ukraine observes the National Minute of Silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial of Heroes platform honor the memory of the fallen defenders from the Donetsk region.