Kyiv defense hero Oleg Sobchenko killed in Donbas

On January 24, 2023, Ukrainian soldier Oleh Sobchenko, who distinguished himself during the defense of Kyiv in the spring of 2022, was killed in Donbas.

He noted: "Cossack fate. Today, my brother-in-arms Oleh Sobchenko was killed in action while defending Ukrainian Donbas. He died like a hero. He was a Cossack, and he completed his Cossack journey gloriously.

It's hard to write some words when you need to write as indescribably beautiful and strong as Oleg lived.

We met on the Maidan, thanks to Tetyana Chornovol. During the events of the Firebaptism, a Golden Eagle attacked Maidan activists in Cherkasy. Oleh's forehead was fractured, the bone was literally shattered. He was miraculously rescued from the hospital and taken abroad. Later, he received his first Order for Courage for those events.

Then, as part of a small group of volunteers, we went to war back in 2014, in April. Sobchenko fought for more than a year and a half in the first phase, was an effective sniper, and had good experience in contact combat. His knowledge and skills were invaluable in the first chaotic weeks of the great war. Thanks to him, I stayed alive then.

In general, we worked with him as an aerial reconnaissance crew for the first 10 months of full-scale operations.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 25/01/2023