Everyone in “Defenders”. Search by name or narrow down by era and region.
1980–2022
Territorial defense sniper, Hero
An electrician from Nizhyn who volunteered for the Territorial Defense in March 2022 and fought as a sniper near Bakhmut and Soledar. Taken prisoner, he said “Slava Ukraini!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”) and was shot by Russian soldiers. His last words became a symbol of resilience.
NewRead1980–2022
Poet, founder of Dukh Natsii
A poet and scientist from Lviv (real name Yurii Dadak), founder of the literary and educational project Dukh Natsii (“Spirit of the Nation”) and long-time host of the Kholodnyi Yar festival. On 24 February 2022 he volunteered for the 24th Brigade; he was killed in Luhansk Oblast on 1 April 2022.
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1988–2022
Sniper and intelligence officer, Hero
An officer from Berdiansk who commanded a sniper company of the 79th Air Assault Brigade and from 2014 fought at Lyman, Donetsk airport and Avdiivka. Hero of Ukraine (2016). Later a military intelligence officer, he was killed near Hostomel defending Kyiv, on his 34th birthday.
NewRead1990–2024
Poet, photographer, SSO soldier
A poet and photographer, call sign “Dali”, a volunteer from 2014 and, from 2022, a special forces machine gunner. PEN Ukraine named his collection Poems from the Embrasure one of the best books of 2023. Killed on 7 January 2024; Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
NewRead1992–2024
Civic activist and aerial scout
A Kyiv activist who took part in the Euromaidan and the “Who Ordered Katia Handziuk?” campaign. From April 2022 he was an aerial reconnaissance specialist in the 59th Brigade. He was killed in Donetsk region on 15 April 2024, a day before turning 32; Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
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1993–2023
Fighter pilot, “Juice”
A MiG-29 pilot of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade who returned to his brigade after the full-scale invasion began and defended the sky over Kyiv. He became one of the most prominent voices urging the West to give Ukraine F-16 fighters. Killed in 2023; Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
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1995–2023
Commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves”
A volunteer who went to the front at 18, in 2014, and in eight years rose from platoon commander to commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves” battalion. The first volunteer to be made a Hero of Ukraine during his lifetime (2021). He was killed near Bakhmut in 2023.
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1997–2022
Civic activist and scout
A Kyiv activist who, at 16, was among the students beaten when the Maidan protest was broken up, and who later saved the Protasiv Yar green space from developers. He volunteered to fight from the start of the full-scale invasion and was killed near Izium on 9 June 2022, aged 24.
NewRead1998–2024
Journalist and combat medic
A journalist and manager at Suspilne who went to the front as a paramedic from the age of 17. In the full-scale war she led a Hospitallers battalion crew, evacuating the wounded from the front line. Killed in Kharkiv region on 29 May 2024, two days before turning 26. Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
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2003–2024
Azov combat medic, “Hrienka”
A combat medic with Azov and one of the youngest defenders of Azovstal: at 19 he held the line in besieged Mariupol. He survived four months as a prisoner of war, returned to the front and led a reconnaissance platoon. He was killed near Kreminna at 21; Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
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