At the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv, a ceremony was held to present the Awards of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the families of servicemen who died defending Ukraine. Among those honoured were two defenders connected with the Drohobych community: Petro Kobrynovych and Oleh Yakymiv. Both soldiers were posthumously awarded the “Combatant Crosses”.
The relatives of the fallen received the awards within the walls of the Lviv garrison church. During the journey and the ceremony, they were accompanied by the head of the department for social and psychological, legal support and interaction with male and female defenders and their family members, Maryana Bechkalo.
Petro Kobrynovych was born on 5 December 1987 and lived in Drohobych. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he voluntarily reported to the military enlistment office, and on 13 September 2022 he was enrolled in the ranks of Ukraine’s defenders. He served as a gunner in the 3rd ranger section of the 1st ranger platoon of the 1st ranger company of the 1st ranger battalion of military unit A4056, fighting on the front line.
From 27 March 2024, Petro Kobrynovych was considered missing. Only eight months later, after an expert examination, was it possible to officially confirm his death. The defender fell in the area of the village of Semenivka in the Pokrovskyi district of Donetsk region. The soldier’s body was brought back to his home community and buried on 22 November 2024.
Oleh Yakymiv was born on 25 January 1987 and lived in the village of Rykhtychi in the Drohobych community. He was called up to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 7 February 2024. He served as a senior rifleman-operator in the 3rd ranger section of the 1st ranger platoon of the 1st ranger company of the 1st ranger battalion of the same military unit A4056, carrying out combat missions on the front line.
On 28 April 2024, contact with Oleh Yakymiv was lost. On 6 May 2024, his family were informed that the serviceman had gone missing while carrying out a combat mission to defend Ukraine in the area of the village of Semenivka on the Pokrovsk sector of the front. Only on 29 January 2025 was it possible to bring the soldier’s body home for farewell and burial.
The memory of Petro Kobrynovych and Oleh Yakymiv, who gave their lives for Ukraine, is preserved with deep respect in the Drohobych community.