July 25, 2023
21-year-old Junior Sergeant Dmytro Minailov, call sign Rayv, passed away on the operating table due to cardiac arrest on July 25, 2023. During an assault near the village of Urozhayne in Donetsk Oblast, he was wounded by shrapnel in the arm but stayed with the group on the battlefield to complete the landing, and then received a second injury in the chest area; a bullet grazed his aorta. He was evacuated but couldn’t be saved.
Dmytro was born in Kostyantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. He received his secondary education at local School No. 13. He dreamt of military service, so upon reaching adulthood, he signed a contract with the Marine Corps unit of the Ukrainian Naval Forces in 2020.
He served in the 503rd Separate Marine Battalion, carrying out combat missions in the Joint Forces Operation zone. He constantly trained, improved his military skills, and with the outbreak of full-scale war, bravely repelled attacks by Russian occupiers on the Eastern Front. During the invasion, Dmytro served as a platoon commander. He led his unit and despite his young age, earned respect among his comrades as a courageous warrior.
During his service, he was awarded the Medal “For the Defense of Ukraine” and posthumously received the Order of Courage III degree.
“Rayv was erudite, a cultured person, a great fan of poetry and classical art. He was very positive, sensitive, a romantic with a profound inner world,” his friend Radion recalled.
The young hero was laid to rest in the village of Dovha Balka near Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.
Dmytro is survived by his parents, relatives, friends, and comrades.