On 3 June in Lviv, a farewell will be held for servicemen Ihor Ilkiv and Petro Nykolyn, who gave their lives defending Ukraine from the Russian occupiers. The city authorities are asking residents and visitors to join the ceremonies and to refrain from entertainment during this time.
The funeral service for Petro Nykolyn will begin at 11:00 at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. At approximately 11:30 a citywide farewell ceremony is planned on Rynok Square. At 12:45 the farewell will continue at the Church of the Archistrategos Michael in the village of Zavydovychi, where the soldier will be buried at the local cemetery.
The funeral service for Ihor Ilkiv will take place at 12:00 at the Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olga in Vynnyky, at 4A Zhupan Street. After the service, the defender will be laid to rest at the new cemetery in Vynnyky.
Petro Nykolyn
Petro Nykolyn (03.07.1980 — 03.05.2024) was a Lviv native. He studied at Secondary Comprehensive School No. 73 in Lviv, and later qualified as a mechanical engineer at the Separate Structural Subdivision “Motor Transport Vocational College of the National University ‘Lviv Polytechnic’” and at the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”.
He worked as a mechanic at the Municipal Enterprise of the Lviv Regional Council “Motor Transport Service Enterprise”. According to his family, he was cheerful, kind, sincere and hard-working, distinguished by his optimism, sociability, courage and confidence. He loved animals and was passionate about gardening.
With the onset of the full-scale invasion by the Russian occupiers, he took up arms to defend Ukraine. He defended the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state in the Donetsk sector as part of the 210th Separate Assault Regiment of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was awarded a distinction of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine — the medal “For Wounds” and the medal “War Veteran”. Petro Nykolyn is survived by his parents, his brother and other relatives.
Ihor Ilkiv
Ihor Ilkiv (25.08.1975 — 01.06.2026) was born in the village of Zelenyi Hai, Lviv Region. He studied at Lyceum No. 2 of the Lviv City Council, and then at the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
After completing his studies, he served in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and later devoted more than 26 years to working in the Security Service of Ukraine. In 2015 he carried out official duties in the area of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he continued to perform tasks to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He was the recipient of numerous honours.
According to his loved ones, Ihor was kind, calm, even-tempered and responsible, and was notable for his caring nature and non-confrontational character. Above all he valued his family, was very fond of children and was a devoted family man. He was keen on fishing and mushroom picking, enjoyed spending time in nature, in the mountains and travelling, and loved cooking over a barbecue. He held the sports title of Candidate for Master of Sport in swimming. Ihor Ilkiv is survived by his wife, daughter, son, mother, sister with her family, and other relatives.