Lieutenant Denys Samofal, callsign “Talib,” aged 21, was killed on October 15, 2022, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Nova Kamianka in Kherson Oblast. The officer held the line for three hours to allow the main forces to advance, but enemy shelling took his life.
Denys was from Donetsk Oblast and lived in the town of Ukrainsk. From childhood, he dreamed of becoming a soldier, so after school he chose this path. He studied at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi Lviv National Academy of the Land Forces and was a devoted patriot.
After graduation, the young officer was assigned to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He took part in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO).
During the full-scale war, “Talib” defended Ukraine in the ranks of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, where he commanded a platoon. In April, he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd Class.
“In war, life changes, but it’s better to be there than in the rear. I am angered by people who, knowing how many soldiers are dying, sit calmly, drink, and swear. Our people are dying there, while they are having fun here. I could understand if they were doing something for the army, but instead, guys who are 20 years old have to die,” Denys said in an interview in July 2022.
“He was lucky and a man of steel. Responsible and always cared about his subordinates, he had more than one wound and constantly rushed back to his brothers-in-arms. After the war, he dreamed of protecting his cousin from boys,” said his aunt Margaryta, who raised Denys after his mother’s death.
The officer was laid to rest in the town of Shevchenko, in his native Donetsk Oblast.
Denys is survived by his aunt, cousins, and a young cousin.
At 9:00 a.m. — the nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional State Administration and the Memorial of Heroes platform honor the fallen defenders from Donetsk Oblast.