"During the flight, I caught my hand on the air conditioner": an athlete who died in the battle for Bakhmut climbed walls and created things out of nothing

On April 20, the defender of Ukraine, track and field athlete Roman Polishchuk, who fought in the 206th Territorial Defence Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the full-scale invasion of Russia, would have turned 30. The athlete fought in the battles for the Kyiv and Kherson regions, and then fought in the hottest spot on the frontline - near Bakhmut, where he was heroically killed on March 10.

Polishchuk began his sports career with long jumps, but he was also fond of rock climbing and hiking. He completed a course at the Department of Economic and Social Geography at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, worked as an industrial climber, planned to open his own branded store and never stopped dreaming even under fire from the Russian occupiers.

Friends and family have created a petition to award Roman the title of Hero of Ukraine (you can sign it here), and told OBOZREVATEL vivid stories about the fallen defender, who scratched the walls with his bare hands, inspired optimism in his comrades and could make a refrigerator out of a garbage bag.

HE USED TO FIX EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. "My most vivid memory of Roma is his amazing beehive pendant that his grandfather gave him. I don't think anyone knew what it meant at all (smiles), but it was it that fascinated me on our first meeting. And then it was his eyes. So it was thanks to this pendant that we met," said Polina, the girlfriend of the fallen defender.

Polina and Roma wanted to open their own branded store with an informal Ukrainian theme, were passionate about this project and worked hard to implement it, even while living in different parts of the country. And the girl promises that she will definitely open a store in memory and in honour of her beloved.

"For me, Roma is an example of a real man, strong in spirit, his hands show that he is a very hardworking person, he could fix anything in the world, give the right advice at the right time. We loved each other endlessly, we were soul mates, this man taught me a lot. And he will always remain in my heart!" - emphasised Polina.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN THE MOST DIFFICULT MOMENTS. "Once I was sent to a position in a not-so-great place, where I really didn't want to go and was thinking of refusing. But when I found out that Roma was going with me, all my doubts and fears immediately left me. He gave me confidence and incredible positivity in the most difficult situations," said Roman's fellow soldier Serhiy Doyonko.

"Almost all of our stories together cannot be shared publicly (smiles), but I will say that he was an incredibly cool and kind guy, a role model. I will never forget him. Forever in service!" added Serhii.

DREAMING UNDER FIRE. "Spring. 2022. The South. "Don't forget to dream under fire". For six months, I had this photo as a screensaver and every day it brought back to me what the war took away from many of us in February 2022, namely the habit of dreaming. Here and now. Sincerely and on a large scale. The author of this photo and statement is the Ukrainian military hero Roman Polishchuk," said Luiza, an acquaintance of the athlete.

The girl met Roma a little over a year ago, on April 5, 2022, 3 days after the liberation of the Kyiv region.

"Later, when the guys were in the Mykolaiv region and needed to repair their car, we decided to thank all the participants of the collection and give them postcards from the 206th Battalion with photos depicting the war through the eyes of a Ukrainian soldier. If you donated and have such a postcard, you should know that all the photos were taken by Roma. And he was even in some of them. It seems to me that he had a talent for seeing the beauty in the ordinary, despite the brutal realities of war," said Luiza.

She had met Roma three times in her life, but there were more conversations about life on social media: "I was inspired by Roma's eternal optimism and his views on ordinary things. So easy and simple, but with a deep meaning. On March 10, 2023, Roma died in a battle near Bakhmut. The heavenly battalion has arrived. Rest in peace, Hero. Thank you for the opportunity to know you."

HE HELPED EVEN STRANGERS. "Roman and I were not exactly good friends and did not see each other very often, but we crossed paths in the same company, where Roman stood out. He was insanely cheerful and funny, it was comfortable to be around him, to communicate with him, he was a very sociable, kind and sympathetic person who would never leave you in a difficult situation and would lend a helping hand or stand by you if there was any trouble. Even if you were not part of his closest friends," said Roman's friend Kyrylo.

"I have repeatedly witnessed him helping strangers without any hesitation. Unfortunately, there are few people like him. He will be sorely missed by all of us. We are losing the best people on this planet," said Kirill.

CLIMBED A WALL WITH HIS BARE HANDS. Oles, the athlete's friend, said that Roma was never afraid of adventurous decisions, even dangerous ones, as he was in the summer of 2021, when the boys were on holiday together in Croatia.

"We rented a house with stone walls. In the evening, when we were returning from a walk, I suggested that Roma climb the stone wall of our house to test his strength. The prize was 100 euros. And, of course, Roma's sporting interest and belief in his own strength made him play," Oles recalls.

"Roma climbed up the wall with his bare hands to the roof, but when he was coming down, he fell off, catching one hand on the air conditioner in flight. It didn't scare him then, and we had a good laugh together after the descent. What's most interesting is that Roma got his reward, which he spent on us, by paying for dinner in a restaurant the next day. That's who Roma is - a cheerful adventurer who shared everything he had with his friends," the defender's friend said.

The last New Year's Eve before Russia's full-scale invasion, Roman and his company celebrated in the Carpathians. Upon arrival, Roman noticed that the locals were very religious people, and there were many churches in the area.

"One of our mutual friends is also quite religious, and after seeing every church, she was baptised. Roma started then, too, although he hadn't had this habit before. The friend was offended because she thought Roma was making fun of her. But he just wanted to support her. That's the kind of person Roma is - he has no bad thoughts, he does everything from the bottom of his heart," Oles said.

"KNOCKED OUT A HEADLIGHT WITH THE STOCK OF HIS GUN". Roman Polishchuk's best friend was Andrii Popov. The boys had been friends since they were 7 years old, so they had a lot of stories to tell.

"The first thing I immediately remember is a hike in the Carpathians. After a heavy downpour, we woke up in a flooded tent and immediately decided that we needed to cook something to eat. We found a fallen tree, large and completely wet. Thanks to Roma's professional skills, they tied the tree in knots, dragged it to the tent and even made a fire out of the wet. There are no problems that cannot be solved - this is about our Roma," said Andriy.

When the full-scale war with the Russian Federation began, the friends volunteered for the frontline together.

"Once, near Bakhmut, the two of us were setting up a mortar position and setting up landmarks. We finished and radioed our comrade who was supposed to pick us up. It was night, there was a lot of snow, and our positions were clearly visible to the enemy. My comrade arrives, backs up, and the car's reversing light turns on. Roma immediately got his bearings and in a second knocked out the rear light with his rifle butt, turned to me and said with a smile: "I'm sorry. Because this car was brought by my friends. Of course, I was not offended by this. He was always decisive, quickly assessed the situation and knew what to do," Andriy recalled.

A FRIDGE MADE FROM A GARBAGE BAG. Anastasia Butenko has known Roma since her university days and did not expect their acquaintance and friendship to last for many years.

"One of Roma's countless talents is to create something out of nothing. During the scientific practice, he showed a masterclass on how to make a fridge from a garbage bag and light a fire from wet branches. For him, there were no hopeless situations. I went on my first hiking trip with this man back in 2010. In 2013, in Crimea, I learnt how to climb ropes and visited many cool natural locations," Nastya said.

"Among the university pranks, I remember when we had a mock interview in the Geography of Labour class. Roma beat me, because he answered the question "What are your disadvantages in work?": "I have too many lunch breaks". He was a charismatic, kind and reckless guy, and we miss him dearly. Rest in peace, our hero, our friend. May he rest in peace, our hero, our friend." - added Anastasia.

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