On Saturday, 10 October, in Lviv, the farewell and burial ceremonies will be held for three servicemen – Mykola Podolny, Oleh Lavrynenko and Yurii Haladii, who were killed defending Ukraine from the Russian occupiers. The City Council is asking residents and visitors to join the ceremonies and to refrain at this time from entertainment events and celebrations.
The farewell for Yurii Haladii will begin at 09:30 in the Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 175 Lychakivska Street. The funeral service for Mykola Podolny is scheduled for 10:00 in the “Transfiguration” Church at 21 Fabrychna Street. At 11:00, in the Garrison Church of Sts. Apostles Peter and Paul, the funeral service for Yurii Haladii and Oleh Lavrynenko will take place.
The citywide farewell ceremony for the three defenders is planned on Rynok Square at approximately 11:30. The soldiers will be buried at Lychakiv Cemetery, in the field of honourable burials No. 87 on Pasichna Street.
Mykola Podolny (10.09.1990 — 28.09.2026) was originally from the city of Dnipro. He studied at the Dnipro Scientific Chemical and Environmental Lyceum of the Dnipro City Council, and later gained a qualification in “Chemical Technology” at the state higher education institution “Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology”, where he also mastered the speciality “Chemical Technologies of Organic Substances”. He then studied at the Dnipro National University of Railway Transport named after Academician Vsevolod Lazaryan, specialising in “Systems Software”.
After his studies, he worked as a developer at the limited liability company “Globallogic Ukraine”. According to his loved ones, Mykola was open, sincere and caring, demonstrated inner strength, resilience and patriotism, and was a loving husband and father who took care of his family even from afar. From the first days of the full-scale invasion he engaged in volunteer work, helping people in need of support.
Mykola was interested in IT technologies, engineering, the design and programming of drones, read a great deal of technical literature and non-fiction, and sought to apply his knowledge in practice. He loved to travel and, together with his wife, dreamt of discovering new countries. He devoted special attention to his son, with whom he tried to spend as much time as possible during his leave.
In 2024 he joined the ranks of Ukraine’s defenders. He served in the South Slobozhanskyi sector as part of the 21st Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment “Kraken 1654” of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carrying out tasks to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state. Mykola Podolny is survived by his wife, son, mother and father.
Oleh Lavrynenko (11.06.1970 — 06.10.2026) was a native of Lviv. He studied at Lyceum No. 5 named after Ivanna and Illia Kokorudz of the Lviv City Council, and received his higher military education abroad, where he qualified as a pilot-navigator.
His family remember Oleh as a sincere, kind and decent person, cheerful and sociable, who knew how to support those close to him and create a warm atmosphere around himself. He was a man of firm convictions, kept his word, and valued family and friendship. His family held a special place in his life: Oleh was a caring husband, father and grandfather, a reliable brother and a loyal friend. He was passionate about football, volleyball and tennis, and loved cooking and travelling.
Since 2024 Oleh had been defending Ukraine from Russian aggression. He served in the South Slobozhanskyi, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia sectors as part of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Koshovyi Otaman Ivan Sirko of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is survived by his wife, two sons, grandchildren, a sister and other relatives.
Yurii Haladii (30.04.1987 — 04.10.2026) was also a native of Lviv. He graduated from Secondary General Education School No. 42 in Lviv and later entered the Ukrainian Academy of Printing, where he obtained a higher education in “Computerised Technologies of Publishing and Printing” and received the qualification of specialist.
Professionally, Yurii worked as a driver at the private enterprise “NTA — Independent Television Agency”, as well as at the limited liability company “Information Agency ZIK”. According to his family, he was sincere, friendly and reliable, always ready to support others and come to their aid. Above all, he valued his family, and was a loving husband and caring father. He was distinguished by his determination, self-control and inner strength.
Yurii loved sport, was a devoted supporter of the Karpaty football club, and especially cherished the time he spent with his son. He was also fond of fishing, spending time in nature and mushroom picking.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russian forces, Yurii voluntarily stepped forward to defend Ukraine. He defended the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state in the South Slobozhanskyi, Luhansk and Donetsk sectors as part of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
For his service, Yurii Haladii was awarded the medal of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine “For Wounds”, the badge of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Golden Cross”, as well as the coin of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is survived by his wife, son, mother, sister and extended family.