On March 13, in the village of Mykulichi, Kyiv region, 20-year-old defender Vitaliy “Kudesnik” Kolesnik was taken on his last journey. The hero died near Bakhmut as a result of a shrapnel wound.

Vitaly went to fight from the beginning of a full-scale invasion. The young defender was a machine gunner in the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

How the 20-year-old Hero died

Vitaly's brothers say that on March 8 he was the first to go into battle with the Wagnerites. However, during the clash, the “Magician” received a shrapnel wound, as a result of which he died.

He was a fearless warrior who went on a mission with a smile on his face and never considered himself a Hero, but only did his job. He was ideological and knew what he was fighting for,” writes Igor Zakharenko.

In the Kyiv region, they said goodbye to a 20-year-old warrior / Photo by Igor Zakharenko

Vitaly is survived by his mother, younger sister and brother, and a fiancee.

The editors of Channel 24 sincerely condole with the family and friends of Vitaly Kolesnik. Eternal memory to the Hero!

Brothers of the deceased soldier Dmitry Zubets said that after the war, Vitaly dreamed of becoming an Aitovite. He was an athlete and an intellectual. The military man recalls that during air raids at the training ground, together with Vitaly, they solved crossword puzzles.

“A man of 20 understood life better than 99 percent of the people with whom I crossed paths. He died like a real warrior, in a direct collision with Wagner devils, rose over the parapet with a machine gun and laid down all that climbing game. No luck, a fragment flew in. . Rest in peace, my young friend. Let's meet in better worlds, solve crossword puzzles,” Zubets wrote in his post.

20-year-old Vitaly Kolesnik died in Bakhmut / Photo by Igor Zakharenko

Losses of Ukraine: latest news

• In Bakhmut, the cameraman of the Public Studio and military man Aleksey Olkhovik died. The Hero is survived by his wife and daughter Eva, who is not even a year old.
• Also, during the defense of Bakhmut, a fighter from the Lviv region, Igor Ilechko, died. He received a wound incompatible with life. The defender had a small offspring.
• During the combat mission, Dmitry Pashchuk died. He was directly wounded by a kamikaze drone in Kherson. The MTR fighter was one of those who liberated Kherson from the invaders.
• Alexander Makarenko died at the front as a result of enemy artillery shelling. Three children were left without a father. The husband has been defending the country since 2014.