Zhytomyr says goodbye to 71-year-old MasterChef contestant who defended Ukraine: what is known about the "energizer"

In Zhytomyr, 71-year-old Nikolai Molokov, who was an instructor of the Belarusian regiment named after Kastus Kalinowski and Azov, said goodbye. As a member of the second legendary battalion, the man fought against the Russian occupiers in 2015-2020, and after the full-scale invasion, he conducted military training. Ukrainians knew Mykola Mykolaiovych as a participant in the sixth season of the popular show MasterChef (STB).

Despite his advanced age, Molokov was nicknamed "the energizer" on the culinary project. The fighter and chef was laid to rest on November 13 at St. Michael's Cathedral in Zhytomyr, Suspilne reports.

"In 2015, he chose to serve in Azov. Mykola fought in the ranks of our famous and heroic Azov battalion until 2020. Even after his discharge from military service, he did not stay at home. He taught the subject "Military Affairs" to students of one of the secondary schools," Olha Yurchenko, director of the Zhytomyr Center for Social Services, shared her memories of the deceased.

The death of the Ukrainian was also reported on the page of Kalinowski's regiment, which he joined after February 24, 2022. The post noted that Molokov was the oldest soldier in the Belarusian battalion. He specialized in military intelligence and taught survival skills to soldiers, and had the call sign "MMM".

One of the soldiers of Kalinovskyi's regiment commented on the loss of his comrade: "Mykola was a very important figure for us. From the very beginning, he helped our unit train. All the guys respected him a lot, and he was the life of the party. He was always cheerful and told interesting stories. That's why we all remember him from the very beginning. And this is a great loss for us."

It turns out that the man was a native of Russia. He had Ukrainian citizenship, but he felt at home in the Belarusian regiment.

Meanwhile, the Instagram page of the MasterChef project also honored the memory of Mycola, expressing condolences to his family and friends.

As OBOZ.UA wrote earlier, Saveliy Fedan, a participant of the ninth season of the X-Factor show (STB) from Enerhodar, died at the front. From the first days of the full-scale war, the guy was defending Ukraine from the occupiers with arms in his hands. Read more about the hero in the article.

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