On Wednesday, 23 September, a city farewell ceremony will be held in Lviv for servicemen Mykhailo Levus, Yurii Abarovskyi, Dmytro Vashak and Hryhorii Martynets, who gave their lives defending Ukraine from the Russian occupiers. The city authorities have appealed to residents of Lviv and visitors to join the farewell and to refrain at this time from entertainment events and celebrations.
The farewell to Mykhailo Levus will begin at 08:30 in the Church of the Most Holy Mother of God, Queen of Ukraine, at 34 Novoznesenska Street. The funeral service for all four soldiers is scheduled for 11:00 in the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. After this, at approximately 11:30, a citywide farewell ceremony will take place on Rynok Square.
Mykhailo Levus will be buried at Lychakiv Cemetery in the Field of Honourable Burials No. 87. Dmytro Vashak and Hryhorii Martynets will be laid to rest at Holosko Cemetery, in field 34-V. Yurii Abarovskyi will be buried in the cemetery in the village of Benkivtsi.
Mykhailo Levus (25.11.1983 — 22.02.2024) was a native of Lviv. He studied at General Secondary Education Institution No. 87 of the Lviv City Council named after Iryna Kalynets, and later graduated from the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”. He worked as a builder at LLC “Zakhidaviabud”. According to relatives, Mykhailo was sincere, kind and cheerful, easily found common ground with people, and loved cars, cooking and spending time in nature, especially fishing.
In 2023 he joined the ranks of the defenders, safeguarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine in the Donetsk sector as part of the 3rd Border Detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevhenii Pikus of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Mykhailo Levus is survived by his mother, his brother with his family, his nieces and nephews and other relatives.
Yurii Abarovskyi (19.09.1975 — 30.06.2024) was also from Lviv. He graduated from Secondary General Education School No. 59 in the city, then continued his studies at the separate structural subdivision “Lviv Printing Vocational College of the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”. He worked as a foundry machine operator at LLC “YUON”. His relatives remember him as a kind, calm, sincere and hard-working person who treated his elders with respect, valued his family and was interested in sport, particularly football and chess.
Since 2023, Yurii Abarovskyi had been defending Ukraine from the Russian invasion. He served in the Donetsk sector as part of the 356th Training Artillery Regiment of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is survived by his wife, daughter, brother and wider family.
Hryhorii Martynets (02.02.1982 — 21.09.2026) was a native of Lviv and a graduate of Lyceum No. 57 named after King Danylo of the Lviv City Council. He received his vocational education at the state educational institution “Lviv Interregional Higher Vocational School of Railway Transport”. He completed compulsory military service and worked as a repair master at private enterprises.
His relatives say that Hryhorii was cheerful and full of life, loved joking and had “golden hands” — he could repair and make almost anything himself. In his free time he enjoyed fishing. In 2023 he rose to the defence of Ukraine and fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Southern Slobozhanskyi sectors as part of the 33rd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is survived by his parents, wife, sister with her family and other close relatives.
Dmytro Vashak (26.10.1964 — 20.09.2026) was born in the village of Davydiv in Lviv Oblast. He studied at General Secondary School I–III levels No. 36 in the city of Lviv, and later qualified as a mechanical engineer at the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”. He completed compulsory military service and worked in the construction sector at private enterprises.
According to his relatives, Dmytro was a kind, hard-working, sensitive, caring and attentive person, always ready to support and help. He sincerely loved Ukraine, was a patriot, enjoyed crafting wooden items, and loved the forest, nature and mushroom picking.
Dmytro Vashak took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation and, with the start of the full-scale invasion by Russian forces, once again stepped forward to defend the state. He served in the Donetsk sector as part of the 7th Border Carpathian Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. He was awarded the medals “War Veteran”, “Participant in Combat Operations”, “Participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation” and the distinction “Cross of Combat Brotherhood”. He is survived by his wife, son, brother and wider family.