Despite the latest “Back-to-School” ceasefire supposedly being in effect since Aug. 29, Russia’s military forces and their proxies in the Donbas, launched some 31 attacks on the Ukrainian army positions in the 24 hours prior to the morning of Sept. 6.
One Ukrainian soldier is known to be killed and another three wounded as a result of the fighting, according to Ukrainian military reports.
Russian-led forces used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms to attack Ukrainian soldiers defending the Donetsk Oblast towns of Zolote, Krasnohorivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Syze, Stanytsia Luhanska, Krymske, Novotoshkivske in Luhansk Oblast. Other hotspots included the settlements of Shumy, Novhorodske, Opytne, Pisky, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Lebedynske, Vodiane, and Shyrokyne in Donetsk Oblast.
Overall, 41 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during the summer months, bringing the total number of killed to at least 2,900, according to the Kyiv Post count based on information from the military, volunteers and media reports.
Meanwhile, as of the end of August, a total of 1,518,283 people were registered as being internally displaced persons, according to the Social Policy Ministry of Ukraine.
Listed below are Ukrainian soldiers known to have been killed in August.
Ukrainian soliders killed in action in summer 2018
Fedir Balog, 45, a soldier of the 92nd bridage from Zakarpattya Oblast. In 2014, Balog with his unit the 92nd brigade, was tasked with help relieving surrounded Ukrainian troops near the city of Ilovaisk in Donetsk Oblast. He barely made it back alive after the massacre and later worked as a driver of a Soviet-style armored artillery tractor in a town of Shchastya in Luhansk Oblast. He was killed on Aug. 4th during fighting near Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast. Balog leaves a wife and three children.
Viktor Kandalyuk, 34, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Odesa Oblast. Before joining the army, he had been working as electric gas welder in an Odesa port. He was fatally wounded by a sniper on Aug. 8 near Mariyinka in Donetsk Oblast. Kandalyuk leaves a son.
Andriy Yelistratov, 26, a soldier of the 14th mechanized brigade. Yelistratov was born in Riga, Latvia and moved to Ukraine’s Lutsk with his parents in 1994. Yelistratov’s unit was helping the civilians when Russian-led forces opened fire on their car. Yelistratov was killed at the scene on Aug. 8. He leaves a mother in a village of Garazdzha in Volyn Oblast.
Dmytro Ukrayinskiy, 38, a soldier of the 24th brigade from Donetsk Oblast. In 2014, Ukrayinskiy joined Luhansk-1 volunteer battalion where he served for a year. Later, he enrolled into the special patrol police battalion, which helped to clear the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, as well as towns of Shchastya, Krymske and Zolote in Luhansk Oblast.
At the beginning of August, Ukrayinskiy was on an assignment in the so-called “gray area,” a snaking line of territory between government-controlled and occupied lands in the east of Ukraine. His group was ambushed and Ukrayinskiy went missing after a fight. His body was handed back to Ukrainian soldiers two days after his death on Aug. 10. Ukrayinskiy had married just a week before his death. He leaves a wife.
Ukrainian soliders killed in action in summer 2018
Serhiy Tsepukh, 26, a soldier of the 196th center of the Operational Command “East” from Volyn Oblast. In 2014, Tsepukh joined the Ukrainian National Guard where he also served as a military doctor. He was killed by a sniper near Mariyinka in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 9. Tsepukh leaves his parents and a brother.
Mykhailo Yarovy, 39, a soldier of the 28th brigade from the city of Kropyvnytsky. He was killed by shrapnel on Aug. 13 near Mariyinka in Donetsk Oblast. Yarovy leaves a common-law partner and a child.
Fedir Balakhchi, 45, a soldier of the 503rd marine battalion from Donetsk Oblast. In 2014, he started serving with the State Border Service and after two years switched to serving under contract. Balakhchi died of shrapnel wounds received during shelling near the village of Hnutove in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 14. Balakhchi leaves a wife and two children.
Vasyl Kryshchuk, 36, a soldier of the 14th brigade from Volyn Oblast. He was a part of the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in Iraq. As an active participant of the Revolution of Dignity, Kryshchuk joined nationalist Svoboda party and went to the frontlines in July 2014. He was serving with the Sich Battalion, a Ukrainian special police battalion. After demobilizing, Kryshchuk then signed a contract with the army last fall. He was killed on Aug. 18 near the town of Zolote in Donetsk Oblast when Russian-led forces attacked Ukrainian army positions. Kryshchuk leaves a wife and two children in a city of Volodymyr-Volynsky in Volyn Oblast.
Vladyslav Bondarenko, 21, a soldier of the 92nd brigade from Donetsk Oblast. After graduating from school, Bondarenko worked as administrator at a local grocery store. He was mobilized to the army in 2016 and was defending Avdiyivka and Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast. Bondarenko was killed on Aug. 18 near Avdiyivka by a sniper. He leaves his parents in a village of Komyshuvate.
Heorhiy Olkhovskiy, 29, a soldier of the 128th mountain brigade from Crimea.
He studied in the Crimean city of Alushta and later served with the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center in Ochakiv. After the invasion and occupation of the peninsula by Russia, he moved to Lutsk in western Ukraine. He graduated from the Lviv National Ground Forces Academy and joined the 128th mountain brigade. He took part in battles for Avdiyivka, Butivka mine, Horlivka and Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast. His fellow soldiers recalled that Olkhovskiy desperately wanted to return to native Crimea. Olkhovskiy was killed on Aug. 23 near the village of Starohnativka in Donetsk Oblast. He was shot by a sniper. Olkhovskiy leaves a wife, a daughter and a son.
Andriy Chyrva, 45, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Donetsk Oblast. When Russia’s war against Ukraine started in 2014, Chyrva was a volunteer helping mobilized soldiers. In February 2017, he was mobilized to the army himself. Chyrva was killed on Aug. 23 near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast during the shelling of the nearby villages. He leaves a wife.
Mykhailo Shcherbaniuk, 29, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Vinnytsia Oblast. He signed a contract with the army in November and was killed on Aug. 23 near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast during shelling of nearby villages. He was the only son in his family.
Maryan Naida, 21, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Lviv. Naida was mobilized to the army in 2015 and served in one of the units of the Ukrainian National Guard. In early 2017, Naida decided to join the professional army. Naida’s fellow soldiers recalled he was a positive young man and made tattoos for his friends. Naida was killed on Aug. 23 near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast during the shelling of the nearby villages. He leaves a mother and a brother.
Ukrainian soliders killed in action in summer 2018
Taras Protsenko, 42, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. In 2014, he volunteered to the army. His fellow soldiers recalled that Protsenko was a great cook. Protsenko was killed on Aug. 23 near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast during shelling of nearby villages. He leaves a wife and two children.
Vasyl Nechytailo, 52, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Mykolaiv Oblast.
He was killed on Aug. 23 near Krasnohorivka village when Russian-led forces attacked Ukrainian army positions. Nechytailo leaves a wife and three children.
Stanislav Dyakonov, 33, a soldier of the 58th brigade from Sumy Oblast. Dyakonov used to work as a construction worker and in 2015 was mobilized to the army to serve with the 95th brigade. In a year, he signed a contract and joined the 58th brigade. Dyakonov was killed on Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug. 24 near the town of Pivdenne in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a mother and two brothers.
Serhiy Levchenko, 30, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Severodonetsk. He hit a mine on Aug. 26 near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast. Levchenko leaves a wife and two children.
Oleksandr Berezhansky, 42, a soldier of the 53rd mechanized brigade from Zaporizhzhya Oblast. He hit a mine near the village of Krymske in Luhansk Oblast with his fellow soldier Serhiy Levchenko on Aug. 26.
