It humanizes the Ukrainian loss of life in the war with Russian and Russian-backed forces, yet it is unfinished – blank of the names of six of the dead.
While work on the memorial for the marines killed in the line of duty in the ATO zone is near completion, more funds are needed. The memorial was constructed in Mykolaiv on June 6 in front of the headquarters of the 36th Separate Brigade of the Marines – in memoriam to two men killed on October 29 2015, three men killed on August 25 last year – one day after the rest of Ukraine celebrated Independence Day – an independence these men were fighting to protect. It is also dedicated to another soldier killed on April 10 this year. The number will continue to rise.
The design is just representative of the final product. It is devoid of the names of the men it represents. The memorial resembles the bow of a ship, into which is carved the marine’s crest, while cut-out silhouettes of cranes symbolize the souls of the fallen heroes.
Largely funded by the officers themselves and by Mykolaiv companies and individuals, the officers also appealed to The People’s Project for assistance (Facebook post in Russian) in honoring their comrades with the full respect they deserve. Through the Rapid Response project, we collected money for the memorial and recruited local volunteers to help in its construction. But this was not enough. In addition to the monument,the foundations, a lighting system and, most importantly, granite plaques bearing the names of the fallen are yet to be added.
They are six Ukrainian heroes. They come from three marine divisions: the 1st and 503th battalions and the 53rd Separate Brigade of the Marines. These units came out of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Despite being displaced, they formed a company to fight back and protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. They went to the front. They didn’t return. We think you should know their names:
Yuriy Oleksandrovych Zahrebelniy, born 1983. Lieutenant and chief-of-staff of anti-aircraft rocket artillery battalion. Died October 29 2014. Killed by shelling.
Artem Ihorovych Kornev, born 1991. Senior sailor, commander 2nd landing assault branch of the Marine Amphibious Assault Company. Died October 29 2014. Killed by shelling.
Fedir Dmytrovych Ugrin, born 1975. Soldier in grenade platoon branch company of the marines. Died August 25 2015. In battle.
Andriy Vasylovych Barasyuk, born 1986. Senior sailor and topographic surveyor. Died August 25 2015. Killed by shelling.
Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Ivanchenko, born 1978. Sergeant First-class. Operator anti-tank platoon. Died August 25 2015. In battle.
Yuriy Oleksandrovych Zahrebelniy, born 1983. Lieutenant and chief-of-staff of anti-aircraft rocket artillery battalion. Died October 29 2014. Killed by shelling.
Eduard Voldomyrovych Savinov, born 1970. Junior sergeant in Ukrainian military unit. Died April 10 2016. Killed by a mine.
This is the information to be engraved on the plaque. Before the scheduled public opening there is little time and the sum required is not large (note: the Rapid Response project is an umbrella project designed to respond to military and other requests and needs from anywhere in the ATO zone and beyond – the stated budget is not reflective of what is needed for the memorial’s completion) . We ask you support the project by clicking this button:
