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| Vitalii Skakun | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun |
| Born | 19 August 1996 Berezhany, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine |
| Died | 24 February 2022 (aged 25) Henichesk, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Service/branch |  Ukrainian Navy |
| Years of service | 2021–2022 |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Awards | Order of the Gold Star |
Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun (19 August 1996 – 24 February 2022) was a Ukrainian marine combat engineer.[1]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Skakun's was sent to protect the town of Henichesk.[2] As the Russian military got close to the town, Ukrainian forces decided to destroy the Henichesk bridge, in order to slow the Russian troops advancing northward from Crimea. Skakun, a combat engineer, volunteered to place mines on the bridge.[3]
On 24 February 2022, after placing the explosives, Skakun did not have enough time to leave from the bridge and, after texting his soldiers, blew up the mines killing himself and destroying the bridge. His actions slowed the Russian military.[4]
On 26 February 2022, Skakun was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star, the military version of the title of Hero of Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[5]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Belyakova, Irina (February 25, 2022). "Віталік, дитино, як??? Що розповіли у Бережанах про Героя Віталія Скакуна, який підірвав міст разом із собою - 20 хвилин". te.20minut.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ↑ "Ukrainian serviceman Skakun blows up Henichesk bridge to stop advance of tank column". www.ukrinform.net. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ↑ Kiehart, Christopher Miller, Isobel Koshiw, Pete. "Stories Of Ukrainian Heroism Are Emerging And Giving The Country Hope". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Sheets, Megan (2022-02-25). "Ukrainian soldier blew himself up on bridge to block advancement of Russian tanks". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ↑ Martyn, Iryna (2022-02-26). "Vitalii Skakun, who blew up the bridge in Henichesk at the cost of his own life, is a graduate of Lviv Polytechnic". Lviv Polytechnic Center for Communication. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
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