Dmytro Kotsyubaylo
Ukrainian volunteer, commander of the 1st Combined Marines "Da Vinci Wolves" of the AFU, Hero of Ukraine
Dmytro Kotsyubaylo (call sign "Da Vinci") is a Ukrainian volunteer, commander of the 1st BMP "Wolves of Da Vinci" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, participant in the war with Russia. Hero of Ukraine (2021).
Brief biography
Dmitry Kotsyubaylo "Da Vinci" was born on November 1, 1995 in the village of Zadnestryanske, Ivano-Frankivsk region.
He graduated from Bowshevo High School and Ivano-Frankivsk Art Lyceum.
He was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity, and later in the war with Russia. He went to the front in 2014 at the age of 18. Subsequently, he proved to be a military virtuoso and received the rank of junior lieutenant in 2022.
In October 2014, he was seriously wounded in Peski, Donetsk region, and a month later returned to the front again.
Since March 2016, Da Vinci was appointed commander of the first separate assault company, Da Vinci Wolves, which was later reformatted into a battalion.
In 2017, he received the Order of the People's Hero of Ukraine.
In 2021, he became the first volunteer to receive the title of Hero of Ukraine in his lifetime.
Forbes magazine in 2022 listed him as "30 Under 30: Faces of the Future".
Death near Bakhmut
Kotsyubaylo died on March 7, 2023, in the battles for Bakhmut. The soldier's death was personally reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He called Kotsyubaylo a "man-symbol" and "man-courage."
Personal life
Kotsyubaylo was in a relationship with paramedic Alina Mikhailova, whom he met in the Donbass.
