In the Bakhmut region, the commander of the Lviv paratroopers, Major Andrei Lukanyuk, was killed during shelling. He was only 34 years old.

Andrey Lukanyuk is from the village of Gody-Dobrodovka, Ivano-Frankivsk region. He came to the defense of Ukraine in 2014. Since then, he has actively participated in hostilities in the hottest areas of the front.

What is known about the deceased Hero

Andrey Lukanyuk has been actively involved in the formation of the 3rd Battalion Tactical Group of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade since 2013. Since 2014, he has taken the position of company commander. He was a participant in the fighting for the Lugansk airport, Debaltseve, Krasnohorivka, Shirokino.

In 2022, Major Andrei Lukanyuk became the commander of the airmobile battalion of the 80th separate air assault brigade.

The hero died on March 6 during a combat mission in the village of Chasov Yar. Andrei Lukanyuk was at the command and observation post of the airmobile battalion just at the time when the shelling began.

The brigade notes that Andrei Lukanyuk “was a real example of military prowess and glory.”

Andrei Valeryevich was an officer who was respected, he was a true example of military prowess and glory. Demanding and fair, – wrote in the press service of the 80th ODShBr.

Major Andrei Lukanyuk / Photo by the press service of the 80th Airborne Brigade

Dead defenders of Ukraine

• In the battles near Bakhmut, an entire tank crew of the Kholodny Yar brigade perished. The driver-mechanic Andrei Melnik, the crew commander Vitaly “Tyapa” Kobets and the gunner Sergei Leontiev have gone into eternity.
• Yana Rykhlitskaya, a combat medic of the 93rd Kholodny Yar brigade, died near Bakhmut. This happened during the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian defenders on March 3.
• In the battles for Bakhmut, Nikolai Makarevich, a 35-year-old defender from the Lviv region, gave his life. The Hero is survived by his wife, 4-year-old son Nikolai and parents.