Recording and remembering the losses of Ukrainian cultural figures in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine
Ukrainian Culture Makers
Killed by Russia
Recording and remembering the losses of Ukrainian cultural figures in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine
Date of death: July 14, 2022
Place of death: Vinnytsia
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Accordionist Halyna Oleksiv was killed on July 14, 2022, during Russian missile attack on Vinnytsia. Halyna graduated from Vinnytsia M. Leontovych Culture and Arts College. Later she moved to Lviv where she taught at the department of folk instruments of the National M. Lysenko Music Academy.
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Date of death: 11 травня 2023
Place of death: Бахмут, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Під час оборони Бахмута загинув фотохудожник, військовий Денис Кривий. З 2013 року він співпрацював з National Geographic Ukraine. Переможець національних та міжнародних конкурсів фотомистецтва, зокрема нагороджений двома блакитними стрічками FIAP. Денис є автором найкращих світлин природи Національного парку "Бузький Гард". Став на захист України влітку 2022 року, служив у Силах спеціальних операцій.
Денисові було 34 роки.
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Date of death: November 17, 2022
Place of death: Дніпро
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On November 17, it became known that Sergij Mironov, a Kyiv tour guide, activist, and author of the blog "Vanishing Kyiv", died at the front. He used his own money to restore historic doors and windows in old Kyiv buildings. From the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Sergiy defended Kyiv as part of the 241st Terroir Defense Brigade. He was seriously wounded in the eastern direction, protecting his comrades. He died in the hospital.
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Date of death: May 18, 2024
Place of death: in the Zaporizhzhia direction
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 18, it became known about the deathat the front of the actor-puppeteer, military Yevgen Nevynsky. On July 27, 2023, Yevgen went missing in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Recently, an examination confirmed his death. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he volunteered to defend Ukraine. In peacetime, he was the leading master of the Kyiv Puppet Theater. He taught the art of making theatrical puppets at the I. K. Karpenko-Kary KNUTKiT.
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Date of death: 25 November 2025 року
Place of death: Kharkiv region
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Oleksandr Shabanov was born on 20 October 1998 in Rubizhne, Luhansk region. Before his military service, he worked as a DJ.
In November 2018, Oleksandr, aged 20, enlisted in the Ukrainian army. He served in the hottest spots of the ATO and later – those of the full-scale war. He fought for Izium, Bakhmut, Soledar, Chasiv Yar, he kept the defense in the Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv directions.
In April 2022, his mother died during her evacuation from the Kharkiv region.
In 2024, after finishing his training, Oleksandr became a pilot. On 25 November 2025, Oleksandr Shabanov (27) was killed in action in the Kharkiv region.
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Date of death: March 5, 2022
Place of death: Bucha
Circumstances of death: Внаслідок окупації
On March 5 in Bucha near Kyiv, Russian occupiers shot a teacher of Church Slavonic and Greek, historian and translator Olexandr Kislyuk. He worked as a teacher of ancient languages, translated classical texts into modern language, and had publications on the history of the Cossacks based on Latin sources.
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Date of death: 27 January 2026
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Mykola Dziak was born on 7 February 1985. In 2002-2008, he studied preventive medicine at Dnipro Medical Academy.
In 2009-2012, he did a PhD in General Hygiene. Since 2013, he had worked as a professor at the Department of Hygiene and Ecology of Dnipro Medical Academy. In 2016, he defended his PhD in Ecology and published over 37 scientific works.
Mykola Dziak was alco actively involved in developing independent rock music in Dnipro. He was a co-founder and soloist of indie bands such as The Third Planet Mystery (2008-2015) and The Griboedov House (since 2011).
In 2022, Mykola Dziak enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a lieutenant of medical service. In December 2025, he was heavily wounded in action. Doctors fought for his life for three weeks, but on 27 January 2026, Mykola Dziak (40) passed away.
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Date of death: 11 листопада 2024
Place of death: Нікополь, Дніпропетровська область
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Під час російського артилерійського обстрілу в Нікополі загинула хористка Людмила Демченко. Під час атаки вона йшла вулицею. Демченко була учасницею фольклорного гурту "Микитин Ріг". Працювала у культурно-спортивному комплексі Нікопольського заводу феросплавів. Співала на різних заходах у місті. Останній час була хористкою у церкві.
Людмилі було 75 років.
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Date of death: 8 квітня 2022
Place of death: Краматорськ, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Внаслідок російського ракетного удару по вокзалу в Краматорську загинула Віта Кузьменко, завідувачка Краматорської бібліотеки-філії №3. В ролі завідувачки жінка мала змогу ділитися своєю любов'ю до книг та читання із жителями рідного міста. Вранці, 8 квітня 2022 року Віта разом з доньками та мамою чекали на потяг, в спробі евакуюватись до заходу України. Жінка загинула від поранення уламками на очах у своїх доньок, Олесі та Юлі.
Віті було 48 років.
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Date of death: 6 січня 2023
Place of death: під Бахмутом
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On January 6, 2023, near Bakhmut, Zhytomyr librarian Vitaly Pivovarov died. He graduated from the History Department of Ivan Franko Zhytomyr State University and studied at the postgraduate level. He worked in the State Archives of Zhytomyr Oblast and Zhytomyr Oblast Administration. He was a numismatist, philatelist, and collected books. At the time of the full-scale invasion, Vitaliy worked in the regional scientific universal library named after Oleg Olzhych. He volunteered to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Date of death: August 20, 2022
Place of death: селище Піски, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On August 20, musician and soldier Roman Barvinok-Skrypal was killed at the front. He joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2016, hiding health problems that made him ineligible for mobilization. "He would take turns in the trench, either with a machine gun or with a violin. When he played, the shooting would sometimes stop, because our enemies were listening, too", – wrote about Roman by the officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Olena Bilozerska.
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Date of death: May 4, 2022
Place of death: in the Kharkiv region
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 4, in the battles in the Kharkiv region, the poet from the Dnipropetrovsk region and defender of Ukraine Oleksandr Berezhnij died. In civilian life, Berezhnij worked on the railway and also headed a literary studio in Zhovty Vody. During his lifetime, he published several books, and he did not have time to publish the last of the planned collections due to a full-scale invasion. Voluntarily stood up for the defense of Ukraine.
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Date of death: 10 August 2023
Place of death: city of Zaporizhzhia
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Svitlana Semeikina was born in 2005 in the Matviivka community of the Zaporizhzhia region. She graduated from the local school and was a young musician: she played guitar in the band Similar Girls that she launched together with her best friend Kristina Spitsyna.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the girls sang in support of the Ukrainian army. On 9 August 2025, they got under missile shelling during their performance in Zaporizhzhia. 18-year-old Svitlana Semeikina died on the spot.
For their commitment, the musicians were posthumously awarded the Muzvar Award-2023.
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Date of death: 07 March 2025
Place of death: Kursk Oblast, russia federation
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Ihor Liubymenko was born on 11 May 1985 in Kyiv. He graduated from R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music. Since his childhood, he had been interested in music. He participated in the Revutskyi Chapel.
After having graduated, he worked at the Revutskyi Chapel, Kyiv Opera, Kyiv Music Institute and Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In 2025, Ihor Liubymenko was mobilized into the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. Since 7 March 2025 he had been considered missing.
Ihor Liubymenko’s death was officially confirmed in March 2026. He was 39 years old.
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Date of death: 6 березня 2023
Place of death: с. Оріхово-Василівка, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On March 6, Oleg Drobotskyi, an artist and photographer from the Ternopil region, died. The soldier volunteered to defend Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion began.
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Date of death: 17 September 2025
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Andrii Niskubin was born on 3 October 1991 in Kryvyi Rih. He combined his talent of musician and actor with his volunteer activities, especially through his participation in art and education projects of the civic and cultural center Shelter Plus.
In 2023, Andrii Niskubin enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He got wounded in two years’ time. On 17 September 2025, Russian forces stroke the Ukrainian positions with aerial bomb when Andrii was on duty. He is forever 33.
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Date of death: May 21, 2022
Place of death: Gulyaipole
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 21, actor, stuntman, stunt director, and military man Denis Bondarev died near Gulyaipole. He was originally from Poltava and worked in the capital. As an actor, he took part in 11 projects. From the first days of the full-scale war, he defended Ukraine as part of the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. While serving on the front line, he ran his car over an anti-tank mine and received injuries incompatible with life.
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Date of death: October 18, 2022
Place of death: Харківська область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On October 18, historian Yuriy Kostyk died at the front. A graduate of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, after completing his studies, he worked at the Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University. He taught the history of Ukraine in English to foreign students. Later, he held the position of a research fellow at the Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv National Scientific Library of Ukraine. He has been defending Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions since 2014, was a company commander, and received the rank of captain. In 2016, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In December 2021, Yuriy Kostyk was awarded the Order for "courage, devotion to the Ukrainian people and conscientious performance of official duty". He had the call sign "Hero".
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Date of death: 22 травня 2022
Place of death: Трипілля, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Під час виконання бойового завдання на Донеччині, захищаючи “трасу життя” Бахмут-Лисичанськ, загинув архітектор Маркіян Нагорнюк. Після закінчення кафедри дизайну архітектурного середовища Львівської політехніки працював у низці компаній та долучився до багатьох проєктів, зокрема працював над розробкою площі перед Замком Любарта, що у Луцьку. 24 лютого 2022 року мобілізувався та став на захист країни.
Маркіяну було 29 років.
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Date of death: 3 вересня 2024
Place of death: Полтава
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Під час російського удару по Полтаві загинула бібліотекарка Катерина Баранова. Раніше вона працювала у Полтавській обласній бібліотеці для юнацтва імені Олеся Гончара. З 2024 року працювала у бібліотеці при навчальному центрі військ зв’язку.
Катерині було 27 років.
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Date of death: May 9, 2025
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Yaroslav Shvets was born into a well-known artistic family in Irpin. He appeared in a small but memorable role in the film Redaktsiya (The Editorial Office). Off screen, he worked with a team of pyrotechnicians and also performed in theatrical productions.
On May 2, Yaroslav was wounded in action. His comrades evacuated him and transported him to a clinic in Dortmund. On May 9, he died from his injuries.
Yaroslav Shvets was 26 years old.
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Date of death: May 29, 2023
Place of death: Часів Яр, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 29, Lviv journalist and activist Viktor Petrov died at the front. He was the first editor of the publication "Sikhiv Media" (2016-2019), a member of the public organization "Institute of Public Initiatives" (ISI), and the founder of the creative studio for filming and editing What If. Petrov produced important documentaries about Ukrainian art: the film "Keepers of the Codes" about Hutsul modernism and the video series "(Un)forgotten Names of Literary Lviv. Lem's Places" about Stanislav Lem. He also founded the art residency "Goryshche". From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he served in the 54th separate mechanized brigade named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa.
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Date of death: June 10, 2024
Place of death: in Kharkiv region
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
June 10 in the Kharkiv region, Arsen Fedosenko, a photographer for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, died. Fedosenko is a graphic artist by education, but while still a student he found himself in photography. Since 2010 he has been involved in artistic and cultural photo projects in collaboration with the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the Italian Embassy. With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he became a photographer for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Date of death: July 6, 2024
Place of death: Нью-Йорк, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On July 6, opera singer, actor, and soldier Igor Voronka died at the front. He was the leading artist of the National Academic Chapel "Dumka". He participated in projects of the artistic platform Opera Opera Ukraine. From the beginning of the full-scale war, he stood up for Ukraine.
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Date of death: May 29, 2022
Place of death: Оріхів, Запорізька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 29, it became known about the death of photographer, videographer, and eco-activist from Mukachevo Roman Zhuk at the front.
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Date of death: October 29, 2024
Place of death: on the Pokrovsky direction
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On October 29, musician and soldier Mykola Sostin died in the Pokrovsky direction. During his musical career, he managed to play in several Kharkiv bands, in particular, his latest collaborations were with the band Darklighter, the black metal band "Zavod" and the metal band Soom. Mykola Sostin joined the army in August 2024. He served in the 25th separate airborne brigade of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian SSR.
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Submit a storyAt the start of the full-scale invasion, PEN Ukraine began recording the cases of Ukrainian cultural figures killed by Russia. In 2023, together with The Ukrainians Media, they started to publish individual stories in an ongoing series called “People of Culture Taken Away by the War.” In 2024, other state institutions and civic organizations joined the effort to preserve the memory of Ukrainian culture makers killed by Russia and to advocate for justice.
We regularly update our records and directory of Ukrainian culture makers killed by Russia with information from
“Culture makers” refers to a variety of people contributing to the development of Ukrainian culture, including published authors, people building Ukrainian cultural institutions, anyone working professionally in the arts or other cultural professions, people whose creative endeavors impacted their local communities.
Під час служби у Силах оборони Алла Пушкарчук продовжувала фотографувати. Найбільше їй полюбилось робити кадри зоряного неба та квітів. Ми обрали як фон її світлину, аби, з одного боку, віддати шану Аллі, а з іншого — вшанувати усіх загиблих постатей української культури, які святили яскраво, немов зорі.
Алла Пушкарчук загинула 25 квітня 2024 під час обстрілу в районі населеного пункту Удачне Покровського району Донецької області. Аллі було 29 років.