"He did not hide behind other people's backs": Ukrainian wrestler died in the fighting near Bakhmut

Fierce January battles with Russian occupiers near Soledar claimed the life of Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler Volodymyr Polistrant. The 21-year-old sergeant from the Poltava region was performing a combat mission in Donbas, and it was his last.

Volodymyr was originally from Myrhorod, where he trained in Greco-Roman wrestling under the guidance of a well-known local coach, Serhiy Shudehov. He repeatedly won the Poltava regional championship, became a prize-winner of the junior national championship, as well as various Ukrainian and international tournaments.

But Volodymyr was interested in more than just sports, and after 9th grade at Myrhorod School No. 1, he decided to study Chemical Technology and Engineering at the local Mykola Gogol Vocational College of Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic, graduating in 2021.

The promising young man had many plans, but after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Volodymyr took up arms on the 25th to defend Ukraine from the invaders. The Myrhorod military unit of territorial defence, which Polistrant joined, guarded infrastructure facilities and underwent combat training.

At the beginning of 2023, as part of the 116th Separate Brigade, the athlete, along with other soldiers from Myrhorod, performed tasks of the Armed Forces Command in the hot spots of Donbas, and took part in fierce battles in the Bakhmut direction.

But on January 20, Volodymyr's life was cut short while performing a combat mission in Donetsk Oblast, near Soledar, which was captured by the Russians. On August 17, the athlete would have turned just 22 years old.

"He lived his years with honour and dignity, did not hide behind other people's backs, and died protecting us all. We remember him as a student: an athlete, an active participant and winner of all competitions, honest, open, a loyal friend, polite and balanced. How many plans for the future remained unfulfilled..." - the Gogol College responded to the wrestler's death.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that the winner of the World Kickboxing Cup fought in the Donetsk region and died on his birthday.

We also told you that a 21-year-old Kraken fighter and World Cup winner was killed in the battles for Soledar.

And in Donbass, a Poltava kettlebell lifter and a loving father of a 3-year-old boy died under tank fire while saving his wounded comrades.

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