In the Truskavets community and across the Drohobych district, people paid tribute to the fallen defender, Truskavets native Roman Andrash. The soldier’s body was received by people on their knees, after which memorial events and a joint prayer took place.
At the Heroes’ Crossroads, a requiem service for the warrior Roman Andrash, as well as for the fallen soldier Oleh Chverenko from the Boryslav community, was celebrated by six priests from Truskavets, Boryslav, Stanylia and Novoshychi, led by Dean Father Petro Ivasivka. The Word of God was preached by Father Volodymyr Ivasivka, vicar of the Church of Saint Anne in Volyanka in Boryslav.
Vivere militare est! To live is to fight!
This saying by Lucius Annaeus Seneca formed the basis of Father Volodymyr’s sermon. He stressed that soldiers consciously choose the path of struggle, sacrificing their own lives for the sake of Ukraine, and therefore deserve the respect and support of the entire society.
After the requiem at the Heroes’ Crossroads, the funeral cortege proceeded to Truskavets. On the Avenue of Glory, to the sound of the song “Plyve kacha” (“The Little Duck Swims”), the coffin with the body of the fallen warrior was carried to the central part of the memorial. There, led by Father Vasyl Nester, those present together prayed the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” three times and sang the State Anthem of Ukraine. The tradition of bidding farewell to fallen defenders on the Avenue of Glory was introduced about two months ago.
Later, the hearse with the body of Roman Andrash was taken to the city’s oldest shrine, the Church of Saint Nicholas. A farewell to the soldier has been organised in the chapel at the church and will continue for two days.
Roman Andrash (full name – Andrash Roman Bohdanovych) was born on 15 December 1981 in Truskavets. His childhood, education and working life all passed here. For many years he worked at the Shevchenko Palace of Culture. The publication describes him as a hard-working, sensitive and kind person, a devoted son, brother and good neighbour.
In January 2025, Roman Andrash was called up for military service. He served as a rifleman in the motorised infantry battalion of Military Unit A0998 for one year and nine months. On 31 October 2026, the soldier was killed as a result of artillery shelling near the village of Klynove, close to Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.
The community was urged to join the parastas and the defender’s funeral. It was reported that the parastas is scheduled for 18:30, and the funeral for 10:00 the following day.
Eternal light to the memory of warrior Roman Andrash. Honour to him for ever.