36-year-old soldier Volodymyr Brazhnyk, call sign “Donetsk,” was killed on August 29, 2014, in the Donetsk region while withdrawing from the Ilovaisk encirclement. That day, the enemy opened fire on columns of Ukrainian troops.
Volodymyr was born on July 7, 1978, in the city of Lyman and lived in Donetsk. He graduated from Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University with a degree in Finance. He was passionate about football, read a lot, and studied the history of Ukraine.
From 2002 to 2010, he worked as an auditor at the tax inspection office. In 2011, he founded the company “Aerotrans,” which specialized in booking and selling airline tickets for corporate clients, but he lost the business when the fighting for Donetsk Airport began.
In May 2014, Volodymyr moved to Lyman, where he helped Ukrainian soldiers with food and other supplies, and from August he took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine. He served as a rifleman in the 42nd Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion “Rukh Oporu” (formerly a territorial defense battalion), part of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Kosh Otaman Kost Hordiienko. He defended the strategically important height of Savur-Mohyla and later fought in the Ilovaisk area.
“My brother was an incredible person: decent, always ready to help others. He deeply loved his family and his only son, Illiushka,” wrote his sister Halyna.
Volodymyr Brazhnyk was awarded the “For Participation in the ATO” distinction and the Order “For Courage,” 3rd class (posthumously).
The soldier was buried in the village of Torske, Lyman community.
A memorial plaque was unveiled in his honor, and an avenue in Lyman was renamed after him.
He is survived by his son, parents, sister, and nephew.
At 9:00 — a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Admin