With profound sorrow, the Belz City Council announces the tragic loss of a local defender — Junior Sergeant Mykhailo Vasylovych Koziar, born in 1970 and a resident of the village of Khlivchany.
Mykhailo was drafted into military service on March 28, 2022, by the Chervonohrad District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center in Lviv Oblast. From the first days of his service, he demonstrated courage, dedication, and strong patriotism while carrying out missions on the front lines.
On August 21, 2024, while performing a combat mission near the village of Hrodivka in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk region, Junior Sergeant Koziar was killed during a mortar attack by Russian forces.
His memory will forever live in the hearts of his loved ones and all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Myroslava, daughter Mariia, son Vladyslav, grandsons Oleksandr and Mykhailo, and son-in-law Vasyl.
The farewell ceremony and funeral will take place on Tuesday, January 30, 2026, in his home village of Khlivchany. The funeral convoy is expected to depart from Lviv between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., following the route: Lviv — Zhovkva — Velyki Mosty — Belz — Tiahliw — Khlivchany. Estimated arrival in the village is around 13:00.
The community will meet the fallen Hero at the village entrance from the direction of Tiahliw. The procession will then head to his family home, followed by services at the church and burial at the cemetery.
The Belz community urges residents to honor the memory of the Defender with dignity and to join in a collective prayer for his soul.
Eternal glory and memory to the Defender of Ukraine.