March 5, 2023
Senior soldier Ivan Lyuk fell in fierce combat with occupiers on March 5, 2023, near the village of Spirne in Donetsk region. The warrior was 32 years old.
Ivan was born in the village of Pylypivka, Zhytomyr region. In 2007, he completed 11 grades at Pyatkovska secondary school. Then he mastered the profession of a carpenter at the Zhytomyr Vocational-Technical School. After graduation, he worked in his field at various enterprises both in Ukraine and abroad. He had just returned from Sweden before the full-scale invasion.
In the early days of the war, Ivan voluntarily expressed a desire to serve, but due to lack of military experience, he was told to wait at the military enlistment office. However, Ivan was able to be useful even in the rear. He actively participated in maintaining public order in his native and neighboring villages, helped his fellow countrymen who were already in the army with his own funds. And on July 27, 2022, he joined them himself, becoming a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He underwent training abroad and as part of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, he went to the front lines.
“Ivan was cheerful, full of life, sociable, had a good sense of humor. He loved life and wanted to achieve a lot, but his life was cut short too soon, not allowing his dreams to come true,” said his girlfriend Natalia Derevytska.
Posthumously, he was awarded the Order of Courage, 3rd Class.
Ivan is buried in his native village of Pylypivka.
He is survived by his mother, sister, nephew, relatives, close friends, and comrades.