A citywide farewell ceremony was held in Drohobych for the fallen defender of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel of the State Border Guard Service Yurii Tsytsyk. The serviceman was killed on 11 July 2026 while carrying out a combat mission to defend Ukraine, displaying exceptional courage and resilience.
Yurii Tsytsyk was born on 21 February 1987 in Drohobych. He studied at Drohobych schools No. 1 and No. 4, after which he entered the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in Khmelnytskyi. After completing his studies, he was assigned to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, where he headed a border outpost in the urban-type settlement of Pryvitne, and later a mobile border outpost in Massandra, where he served until 2014.
After the annexation of Crimea, the officer left the peninsula and continued his service in the Ukrainian Border Guard Service in Mukachevo, in the 27th Border Detachment named after the Carpathian Sich. He volunteered to go to the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone, where for several months he defended Ukraine’s eastern borders, and then returned to service in Mukachevo. Yurii held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Border Guard Service.
With the start of the full-scale war, he took part in the defence of Bakhmut as part of a composite border detachment. After that, he again served in Mukachevo, and in December 2025 he transferred to an unmanned systems unit. The Drohobych native held the position of Deputy Head of the Main Unmanned Systems Department for Moral and Psychological Support in military unit 9938 and from then on was deployed to forward positions at the front.
The fallen defender is survived by his parents, wife, two children and a brother with his family.
The warrior’s body was received at the Heroes’ Crossroads in Drohobych, where relatives, friends and comrades-in-arms gathered. After a joint prayer, the funeral procession moved to Rynok Square, where the city community knelt to honour the memory of the defender who gave his life for Ukraine.
“This is a heavy and painful loss for all of us. Yura was a true patriot. Long before the start of the war, he consciously chose to defend his native land. We remember his feat and will continue his cause to drive the enemy from our land. May the bright memory of him live forever in our hearts,” said Colonel Dmytro Oleksiuk.
The funeral service continued at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Yurii Tsytsyk was laid to rest on the Avenue of Glory in Drohobych.
Eternal memory to the defender of Ukraine.