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: August 27, 2024
Place of death: Невідоме
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On August 27, the defender of Ukraine, the artist-vocalist of the Kyiv Academic Theater of Ukrainian Folklore "Berehynia" Olexandr Serdyuk, died at the front. The 41-year-old vocalist joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the end of April 2024.
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Date of death: December 10, 2023
Place of death: Невідоме
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On December 10, it became known about the death of actor, documentary filmmaker, and military officer Andriy Pavlenko at the front. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he had been defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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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: 10 листопада 2024
Place of death: с. Нестерянка, Запорізька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
На фронті загинув акордеоніст гурту "Тиха думка", автор пісень та військовий Ігор Кобиш. З 90-х років гурт "Тиха думка" був відомим на Волині. Музиканти брали участь у локальних музичних фестивалях. У червні 2024 року долучився до лав Нацгвардії.
Ігореві було 49 років.
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Date of death: April 5, 2025
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Ukrainian artist and military servicewoman Marharyta Polovinko was killed in action on April 5.
In 2012-2015, Marharyta studied visual arts at Dnipropetrovsk Theater and Art College. Later she graduated as a painter from the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture. Her early works – figures nearly disappearing in space, fluid lines, atmosphere of eloquent silence – appeal to Slavic mythology and folklore. Since 2023, Marharyta had trained to be a paramedic and kept her diary hand-drawn in blood. She wanted to finish it after the war would end by giving people an opportunity to wash the blood off the drawings. Since 2024, she had been actively involved in evacuating the wounded defenders on med evacs. Later she joined the 2nd mechanized battalion of the 3rd separate assault brigade.
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Date of death: 28 August 2025
Place of death: Kyiv
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Vira Tulupova was born on 18 June 1954. She was actively involved in renovation of amateur art and studying Ukrainian folklore. She was part of the folklore dance and music ensemble Hromytsia within the Center of Arts and Culture in Darnytskyi district of Kyiv.
On 28 August 2025, she was killed in the massive missile attack of Kyiv. Vira Tulupova was 71 years old.
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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: 6 серпня 2022
Place of death: Нью-Йорк, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
На фронті загинув поет та військовий Едуард Голенок. Він писав вірші й музику, загалом створив понад 600 творів. Його вібрані вірші посмертно видані у 2023 році. На початку повномасштабної війни долучився до Територіальної оборони, а згодом до 5-ї окремої штурмової бригади.
Едуардові було 45 років.
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Date of death: 19 липня 2026 року
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
В'ячеслав Буртняк (позивний "Музикант") народився 23 липня 1979 року в м. Чортків Тернопільської області. Професійний музикант-саксофоніст, зокрема працював в оркестрі ДСНС України.
25 березня 2024 року долучився до Стрийського батальйону ТрО ЗСУ. 10 липня 2026 року отримав важке поранення, внаслідок наїзду та підриву на міні на Сумщині.
19 липня 2026 року 49-річний В'ячеслав Буртняк помер у лікарні.
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Date of death: 30 квітня 2024
Place of death: Невідоме
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Під час виконання бойового завдання на фронті загинув історик, мандрівник та військовий Марко Вуянко. У 2008 році поступив на навчання в Прикарпатський національний університет ім. В. Стефаника на факультет історії, політології і міжнародних відносин. У студентські роки був активним учасником дослідницьких археологічних експедицій. У 2018-2020 роках Марко працював науковим співробітником військово-історичного музею "Герої Дніпра". З початком повномасштабної війни став на захист України.
Маркові було 32 роки.
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Date of death: 9 November 2022
Place of death: Svatove direction
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Vitaliy Kyrkach-Antonenko was born on 15 February 1987 in Sloviansk and lived in the village of Maidan (Donetsk region). He graduated from Donetsk National Vasyl Stus University. He worked as a ceramist – he made exclusive handmade jewelry in his own studio. His works were quite popular abroad.
In 2014-2015, he was actively involved in volunteering and helped to provide equipment for the 95 th brigade and other units.
In 2022, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he voluntarily enlisted in the army.
While digging trenches near Sloviansk, Vitalii and his friends in arms found a thousand-years-old handmill, sickle, axe, adz, casket handle and knife. These archaeological findings were all transferred to a local history museum’s collection. Vitalii participated in the liberation of Lyman.
Vitalii Kyrkach-Antonenko (35) was killed in a mortar attack near Svatove (Luhansk region). He was posthumously awarded the Medal for Military Service to Ukraine.
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Date of death: May 9, 2023
Place of death: с. Невське, Луганська область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On May 9, Ukrainian artist Volodymyr Chornyi was killed in a battle with Russian soldiers. His partner Olena Biletska reported this on her Facebook page. According to Olena, Volodymyr Chornyi volunteered even though his documents were not at the military registration and enlistment office - they were lost. Volodymyr worked as a set designer in the film "Pamfir" by Dmitry Sukholitky-Sobchuk.
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Date of death: May 7, 2022
Place of death: Zmiiniy Island
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
May 7 on Zmiiniy Island died actor, intelligence officer Oleg Zaitsev with the call sign "Naif". He stood up for the defense of the state immediately after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. He overcame the path from soldier to officer. He was one of those who formed the special unit of the GUR MOU "Shaman". In civilian life, he played on the stage of the Center for Contemporary Art "DAKH". Died during the assault on Russian positions.
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Date of death: March 24, 2022
Place of death: village of Lukʼyanivka
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
March 24 during the storming of the village of Lukʼyanivka in the Kyiv region the Ukrainian historian, translator and publicist Serhiy Zaikovsky was killed. He is a graduate of the Karazin Kharkiv National University. He specialized in the history of the ancient world and the Middle Ages.
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Date of death: 22 червня 2022
Place of death: Невідоме
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Під час виконання бойового завдання на сході України загинув поет, військовий Назар Мялікгулиєв. Автор поетичних збірок "Крик" (2012), "До народу" (2014), "Критик до народу або вірші мого дитинства" (2022, видана посмертно). Воював ще з 2015 року. З 2022 року служив у складі 10-ї окремої гірсько-штурмової бригади.
Назарові був 31 рік.
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Date of death: 20 вересня 2025
Place of death: біля с. Лугівка, Сумської області
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Володимир Брославський народився 22 квітня 1979 року в місті Бережанах на Тернопільщині. Випускник історичного факультету Тернопільського педагогічного інституту, очолював під час навчання науково-видавничий відділ історичного факультету «Літопис».
Від 2004 року очолював раду молодих вчених і спеціалістів Тернопільського національного педагогічного університету. У подальшому обіймав керівні посади в адміністрації: від 2006 року був начальником відділу виховної роботи, а від 2013 року — відділу в справах молоді.
У 2012 році став засновником освітнього порталу «Академія». Від грудня 2014 року був керівником ГО «Інститут модернізації суспільства». Автор наукових праць з історії та права. Активно долучився до становлення проєкту «Історія адвокатури України». Співпрацював із Центром досліджень адвокатури і права НААУ, зокрема відповідав за підготовку фахівців у галузі адвокатської біографістики.
Протягом 2015–2016 років як доброволець брав участь у бойових діях у складі 56-ї окремої мотопіхотної бригади, де командував відділенням у гаубичному дивізіоні. З 2019 року - резервіст 105-ї окремої бригади територіальної оборони, у якій від початку широкомасштабного російського вторгнення виконував бойові завдання на різних напрямках.
Проходив службу в розрахунку зенітної установки, згодом — у підрозділі контрдиверсійної боротьби на Донеччині та Харківщині. Пізніше у складі мінометної батареї брав участь у боях на сході України та Сумщині.
20 вересня 2025 року 46-річний Володимир Брославський загинув поблизу села Лугівці на Сумщині, рятуючи життя побратимів.
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Date of death: April 3, 2025
Place of death: Kyiv
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Artist, poet and cultural activist Hennadii “Genyk” Havryliv died on April 3 due to a combat injury.
Hennadii Havryliv was actively involved in the cultural life of Ivano-Frankivsk. He worked in the sphere of design, literature and performative art, was a co-founder of various art initiatives, wrote poetry, painted pictures and had his unique author’s style.
After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Havryliv enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as a cook in one of the airmobile brigades, later became a gunner in a combat unit. In 2023, he was wounded in Bakmut. Havryliv returned to the frontline in autumn 2024 as a rifleman in the 128th separate mountain assault brigade. In 2025, he received shrapnel and gunshot injuries. The fighter died on April 3 in a Kyiv hospital.
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Date of death: 22 July 2025
Place of death: Sumy region
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Vadym Tykhonovskyi was born on 21 November 1996 in Kyiv. He graduated as a director of photography and cameraman from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, and he is the author of the short feature film Sonia.
In 2019, he participated in the film photography festival Kinooko with his film Creation ("Створення"). He also worked as a photographer, especially focused on making a series of reportages from Kyiv theater performances and art exhibitions, including the Biennale of Stagecraft. Critics mentioned Tykhonovskyi’s remarkable style of making photo portraits.
After the beginning of the full-scale war, Vadym Tykhonovskyi was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. First, he served in the 78th Separate Airborne Assault Regiment, then in the 225th Separate Assault Regiment as a drone operator. He went missing on 22 July 2025 near the village of Kindrativka (Sumy region) while performing an offensive operation. The death of Vadym Tykhonovskyi (29) was officially confirmed in February 2026.
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Date of death: August 5, 2022
Place of death: in Kherson region
Circumstances of death: During shelling
On August 5, as a result of Russian shelling in the Kherson region cultural figure and choirmaster Lyudmila Linovska died. The missile hit her house at around 4 a.m. Lyudmila Linovska worked in the Novovorontsovsky District Culture Department for many years. Since the full-scale Russian invasion, she has remained in the village and helped locals at a volunteer center.
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Date of death: 5 червня 2022
Place of death: Святогірськ, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Внаслідок російської атаки по Святогірську на Донеччині загинула директорка Святогірського історико-архітектурного заповідника Світлана Шарабан. Снаряд поцілив у машину, в якій жінка намагалась евакуюватись. У музейній сфері Світлана працювала від 1979 року, обіймаючи посаду старшого наукового співробітника Харківського історичного музею. З 1985 року працювала у державному історико-архітектурному заповіднику у Святогірську.
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Date of death: 11 травня 2022
Place of death: с. Богородичне, Донецька область
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
На фронті загинув поет та військовий Артем Задоянчук. Під час повномасштабної війни він публікував вірші на своєму YouTube-каналі. У перші дні вторгнення він став на захист України. Посмертно видана його поетична збірка "Я хочу бачити весну" (2023), представлена у Хмельницькому.
Артемові було 35 років.
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Date of death: November 23, 2023
Place of death: Klishchiivka
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
November 23 it became known about the death at the front of the writer and defender of Ukraine Olexandr Menshov. The serviceman died as a result of mortar shelling near Klishchiivka in the Donetsk region. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Oleksandr Menshov was a writer. He lived with his family in occupied Kherson for almost half a year. He described this experience in his diary "Me, Fox and the Occupation".
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Date of death: April 1, 2022
Place of death: Luhansk Oblast
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On April 1, Ukrainian writer, poet, and public figure Yuriy Ruf was killed in the fighting in Luhansk Oblast. He joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among Yuriy Ruf's publications are – "Crimson Lyric" (2012), "Time of Revolution" (2014), "At the Turn of the Epochs" (2015). The author's poems were included in the contemporary poetry collections "Voice of Blood" (2013) and "Echoes of Lead Thunder" (2015).
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Date of death: 24 січня 2023
Place of death: Вугледар
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On January 24, in a battle with Russian occupiers in Vugledar in the Donetsk region, a well-known public figure, ATO veteran, aerial reconnaissance officer of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians Oleg Sobchenko was killed. In his civilian life, he was fond of history and was engaged in the restoration of memorials and graves of the foremen and Cossacks of the UNR Army. He was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity, participated in patriotic actions, and spoke out in defense of the Ukrainian language.
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Date of death: July 20, 2023
Place of death: near the village of Dibrova (Luhansk region)
Circumstances of death: During service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On July 21, it became known about the death of musician and military serviceman Davyd Yakushyn. Yakushyn skillfully played the violin and flute; in July 2022, he graduated from the R.M. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music. From childhood, he took part in Christmas nativity performances with the groups Khoreya Kozatska and Ostannya Barykada Art Association, and was also a participant in the project Istoriya zi Smakom.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he has defended the state as part of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving in particular with the 112th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade. He fought his last battle near the village of Dibrova (Luhansk region).
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Date of death: 23 October 2025
Place of death: Kramatorsk
Circumstances of death: During shelling
Olena Hubanova, aka Olena Hramova, was born on 25 June 1982 in Yenakiieve, Donetsk region. She grew up in Kramatorsk. Since the years of her studies, she had worked as a journalist, and she began her career as a presenter at the Melody radio station. Later, she worked in the local media, including regional TV channels.
Since March 2021, Olena had worked at the Dim TV channel. In 2022, she began covering the topic of war. In June 2023, she was awarded the Third-Class Order of Princess Olha.
Olena Hubanova was 43 years of age when she died due to the Lancet drone shelling of her civilian car.
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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.