Police Captain Oleksii Balaba, call sign “Nimyi” (“Mute”), was killed on August 3, 2025, near the village of Katerynivka in Kramatorsk district. During a combat mission, an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle dropped an explosive device. He was forever 35.
Oleksii was born on September 9, 1989, in the settlement of Oleksandrivka, Kramatorsk district. He graduated from Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. During his studies, he proved himself to be a responsible, disciplined, and diligent cadet. In July 2011, he began his career in Ukraine’s internal affairs bodies as an investigator in the investigation unit of the Oleksandrivka district department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Donetsk region. From 2015, he continued his service in the National Police of Ukraine. He worked as an investigator, a district police officer, an inspector in the patrol police response sector, and the head of the inquiry sector at the Oleksandrivka division of the Kramatorsk District Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk region. He loved sports and played tennis and football.
In May 2025, Oleksii joined the Special Purpose Police Battalion (rifle unit) of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk region, where he served as an inspector of the 2nd platoon of the 1st company. He stood out not only for his high professionalism and responsible attitude to service, but also for his sincerity, humanity, and integrity. Colleagues and relatives remember him as a kind, honest, and strong-spirited person who was always ready to lend a helping hand.
“My husband was the best. He treated me with great love. We were one whole, always saying that we were two halves. He could always support me and give advice. He did everything for us. We lived a happy life together and were meant to continue living it… we had so many plans, so many dreams… He loved his parents very much. He never refused to help his friends. My best one. It’s so hard for me without you. Our love is one whole. It has not ended and never will. It lives in me, in every memory, in the breath of the wind, in the silence. It is a light that will not go out—even after loss. Because true love does not disappear; it passes into eternity. I love you forever. I embrace you across worlds,” wrote his wife, Mariia.
For his service, Oleksii Balaba was awarded a National Police distinction, the “15 Years of Faithful Service” medal, and posthumously the “For the Defense of Ukraine” distinction and the Order “For Courage,” 3rd class.
The defender was buried in his native Oleksandrivka.
He is survived by his wife Mariia, his mother Valentyna Mykolaivna, and his father Mykola Oleksiiovych.
At 9:00 a.m., there is a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the “Memorial of Heroes” platform honor the fallen defenders from Donetsk region.