In Truskavets, they bade a final farewell to Oleksandr Pavlichenko – a soldier and internally displaced person from Eastern Ukraine, who died while on military service. The defender was 46 years old.
According to the information provided, 46-year-old Oleksandr Pavlichenko was mobilised on 20 May 2026, despite the fact that he was caring for his seriously ill mother, who uses a wheelchair. The documents to extend his deferment had already been submitted, but the decision had not yet come into force.
The family’s story is bound up with the many years of war. Mrs Maria and her only son Oleksandr lived in Luhansk. After the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, they first left for Odesa region, and later moved to Sviatohirsk in Donetsk region. In 2022, because of the fighting, they were forced to leave their home for a second time and moved to Truskavets. Although there was an opportunity to evacuate the woman with a disability abroad, including to the Baltic states, Oleksandr insisted that he would not leave Ukraine.
In 2026, the war once again radically changed their lives. Senior rifleman-flamethrower of a mechanised squad of a mechanised platoon of a mechanised company of a mechanised battalion, Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Pavlichenko, served for about five months and died on 20 October 2026. For his mother, her only son now remains only in her memories – she now lives alone and is struggling deeply with her loss.
On 2 November, the soldier’s body was brought back to Truskavets. The defender was met at the Heroes’ Crossroads, where seven priests of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, led by the rector of Truskavets’ Annunciation Church, Father Ihor Pulyk, held a requiem service. The funeral cortege then proceeded to the town, where it was met by pupils of Secondary School No. 1.
It is noted that only a small number of local residents came to support the mother of the deceased. Among those present was the Mayor of Truskavets, Andriy Kulchynskyi, who helped organise the funeral.
The funeral service was conducted in the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Oleksandr Pavlichenko was laid to rest in the Alley of Honour in Truskavets. On 17 August 2026 he turned 46 – and it is at this age that he will remain in the memory of those who knew him.