Kyiv has bid farewell to the legendary "Da Vinci" commander to the sound of trembita: Zelenskyy, Zaluzhnyi, Reznikov, and Budanov attended the funeral ceremony. Photos and videos

On March 10, Kyiv bid farewell to the Hero of Ukraine, commander of the "Da Vinci Wolves" Battalion, Dmytro Kotsiubailo. His body was brought to St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, and the coffin with the Hero's body was taken with an honor guard from there to Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), where everyone could pay tribute.

Thousands of people attended the funeral ceremony, as well as the highest military and political leadership of Ukraine.

OBOZREVATEL correspondent reported on it.

Hundreds of Ukrainians came to St. Michael's Monastery to honout the commemorate the soldier who gave his life defending Ukraine from the eternal enemy. The church was crowded with people. People also gathered near the cathedral.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, who arrived in Kyiv on an official visit on March 10, came to St. Michael's Monastery to honout the memory of the legendary soldier.

"It hurts to lose our heroes. Brave, courageous, strong. Loyal to themselves and to the state. Together with the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, we bid farewell to Dmytro Kotsiubailo. I handed over Oksana Kotsiubailo, Da Vinci's mother, the Cross of Military Merit, which her son was posthumously awarded. We will never forget. And we will always be grateful. May his memory be eternal!" Zelenskyy said after farewell to the soldier.

The warrior was accompanied by the mournful sounds of trembitas.

When the funeral service was over, the honor guard and the hearse with the Da Vinci's body left Saint Michael's Square for Maidan Nezalezhnosti. There, the farewell to the soldier continued.

During the farewell to "Da Vinci", Khreshchatyk Street was blocked.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov and thousands of Ukrainians attended farewell ceremony with the soldier on Maidan Nezalezhnosti.

Farewell to "Da Vinci" on Independence Square

Dmytro Kotsiubailo has been at war since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014. The 27-year-old born warrior fought his last battle on March 7 near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

The day before, on March 9, the farewell to "Da Vinci" took place in the village of Bovshiv in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Fellow villagers paid their tribute to the Hero of Ukraine at the local House of Culture, and then the funeral service took place in the church.

"Da Vinci" died on March 7 near Bakhmut. The tragic news of the soldier's death in battle was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Dmytro Kotsiubailo was born on November 1, 1995 in the village of Zadnistrianske, now Burshtyn urban community, Ivano-Frankivsk district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine. He received his education at Bovshiv Secondary School and Ivano-Frankivsk Art Lyceum.

"His great-grandfather fought in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Dmytro was told about it by his grandmother," the Burshtyn Town Council said.

Ebidently, this is what determined Dmytro's fate and set him on the path of a warrior.

At the time of his death, Dmytro Kotsiubailo was 27 years old. Nine of them he spent in the war: "Da Vinci" took up arms in 2014, when Russia launched its armed aggression against Ukraine. At the time, he was barely 18 years old.

In his first year at the front, Dmytro was seriously wounded in the village of Pisky in the Donetsk region. A shell fragment hit him in the face, tearing his lip and knocking out a tooth. Another fragment broke his collarbone, so doctors had to install a fixation plate, and his ribs were damaged. After recovery, Dmytro immediately returned to the front line.

In 2014, he commanded a platoon of volunteers, and in 2015 - a volunteer company.

On March 17, 2016, he was appointed commander of the 1st Separate Assault Company "Da Vinci Wolves" of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, which was later reformatted into a battalion. During the full-scale war with Russia, the "Da Vinci Wolves" fought as part of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Over the years at war, Dmytro Kotsiubailo has become a legend without exaggeration. The merits of the young but extremely talented volunteer commander were eventually recognized by the state: on November 30, 2021, he was awarded the highest state award - the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Gold Star. As stated in the decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the high title was awarded to Dmytro Kotsiubailo "for personal courage in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

He became the youngest volunteer in the history of Ukraine to receive the highest state award during his lifetime.

The day before, "Da Vinci" was bid farewell in his small homeland. Hundreds of people came to honour the memory of the legendary warrior, who was born in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Dmytro has been fighting since he was 18 years old, and his entire adult life has been inextricably linked to the war.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Kotsiubailo's death on March 7. "Today, 'Da Vinci', the Hero of Ukraine, a volunteer, a man-symbol, a man of courage was killed in battle," the head of state said.

The details of the Hero's death were revealed by the Liberov photographers. Dmytro was killed during an enemy shelling while other soldiers were in cover on the order of their commander.

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