On 7 June in Truskavets the funeral was held for Staff Sergeant, soldier Ihor Andriyovych Nykytenko (callsign “Pirat”), who was killed in the war just three weeks short of his 31st birthday.
Ihor Nykytenko was born on 19 June 1995 in the settlement of Yablunets in Zhytomyr region. At the age of 19 he volunteered to defend Ukraine as part of the Sich special purpose battalion. Later he served in the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade and the 12th Azov Special Purpose Brigade.
The fighter took part in heavy battles and military operations in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions. He was wounded several times, but each time returned to his comrades-in-arms, regarding the defence of Ukraine as his duty and life’s work. In February this year, Ihor Nykytenko fulfilled a long-held dream and joined the SBU Special Operations Centre “A”.
The farewell service for Ihor Nykytenko was first held in Kyiv, then in his native Yablunets in Zhytomyr region, and afterwards in the village of Opaka in the Skhidnytsia community of Drohobych district, where he had lived for some time with his wife Maryana. The funeral service was conducted by priests in Truskavets, where the couple had planned to live and raise their children Marko and Marichka.
On 2 June 2026 Ihor Nykytenko was killed. His comrades remember him as a soldier who always returned to the ranks, and whose combat path is marked not only by awards, but also by a courage that cannot be measured by decorations. Ihor Nykytenko was laid to rest in the Alley of Honour at the central Truskavets cemetery.