Russia Killed Them: Stories of Famous Ukrainians Who Died Because of the War in Ukraine

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the ABO media development agency created the project "Memorial: Killed by Russia." The Memorial preserves the names and faces of civilians and military personnel who died as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We created this memorial so that you can learn about everyone killed by the Russian army," the media say. "Svidomi" in collaboration with "Memorial: Killed by Russia," tells about famous Ukrainians who died in the war.

Pavlo was born in Yevpatoriia, Crimea. Later he moved to Kyiv, where he began his career: he acted in films and commercials and was a dubbing actor in the Koleso Academic Chamber Theater. He participated in the talent show "Fabryka Zirok 3" (Star Factory 3), which made him famous.

Among his latest works in the cinema was a role in the military drama "Myrnyi-21" by Akhtem Seitablaiev, which tells about the heroism of the Luhansk border guards in the summer of 2014.

In the first days of the full-scale war, Pavlo Lee became a volunteer and helped local territorial defense forces.

"A real man, my friend, a wonderful person, a TV presenter, a bright person — Pasha Lee. Today, together with his friends, he was bringing humanitarian aid to the city of Irpin. To where he lived too. I want to say to the occupiers: "Pasha will be avenged," wrote Akhtem Seitablaiev.

"In the last 48 hours, there is finally an opportunity to sit down and post a picture about how we are being bombed, and we are smiling because we will get through it, and everything will be Ukraine. We are working!" — wrote Pavlo Lee in his last post.

Poet, songwriter, volunteer, and serviceman Hlib Babich died on July 28. He had the call sign Lientiai, and served in the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade.

The poet was born in Mykolaiv. Before the war, he ran a business. Hlib wrote music and lyrics. He organized a recording studio where not only Ukrainian but also foreign musicians recorded.

In 2014-2019, Babich took part in the Anti-terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation and went through six combat rotations. He was the head of the volunteer initiative "Res_Publica. Brothers in arms."

He wrote over 500 poems. In 2021, he published a poetry book "Poems and Songs." Lientiai was worried that people do not read poems.

"My son Hlib died at the front yesterday. They made some kind of radar station in the car and were testing it on the front line. Are these railroads worth his life? The day before, Hlib's daughter Vika called him and said that she had sent a parcel with pies and gingerbread. In response, they made jokes and filmed a video. And now Hlib is gone. Hlib turned 53 in March. No matter what he was doing, art always remained the main background in his life: poems and music," wrote the defender's father Valerii.

The soldier is survived by his parents, a sister, and a daughter.

In Kyiv, the actress of the Kyiv National Academic Molodyi (Young) Theatre, Oksana Shvets, was killed during a missile attack in the Darnytskyi district. It happened on March 17. The woman was at home.

"Blessed memory of the talented actress! There is no forgiveness for the enemy who has come to our land!" — wrote the theater team on the Facebook page. They were the first to report about the death of their colleague.

Shvets worked on stage for 42 years and played in dozens of performances.

"Oksana Shvets worked in the Molodizhnyi (later Molodyi) theater from the first years of its formation. Her first performance — "I'll Come Back to You With Spring" directed by Oleksandr Zabolotnyi — is historically the first performance of the Kyiv Youth Theater," theater critic Oleh Verhelis recalled.

The actress was 67 years old. Her colleague, actress Tamara Yatsenko, says that Oksana was kind and gentle and always tried to help everyone.

"She even pitied a homeless cat like her dear soul and wanted to take it and warm it in her apartment, in that same apartment..," the woman says and adds that due to her gentle nature and love for cats, Oksana was affectionately called "Kitty" even in the theater.

"Every Ukrainian photographer dreams of taking a photo that will stop the war," said Maks Levin. He worked as a photojournalist — it was his dream since he was 15. The majority of his documentary projects are related to the war in Ukraine.

On March 13, Maks Levin went to Huta-Mezhyhirska to document the consequences of Russian aggression. Together with a serviceman, Maksym left the car and went towards the village of Moshchun. There was no contact with them since then.

The police found his body only on April 1, after a long search. Later it became known that intense hostilities had begun in the area where Max was going to work. Levin was killed by Russian servicemen with two shots from a small-arms weapon.

Maks is survived by his 4 children.

Writer, poet, public figure Yurii Dadak (poetic pseudonym — Yurii Ruf) was killed on April 1 by mortar shelling in the Popasna area.

On the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ruf joined the ranks of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and went to the Luhansk region. On March 3, the first battle in his life took place.

Yurii Dadak was a public figure, host of the "Kholodnyi Yar" festival and owner of the "Hver" clothing brand. He started writing poems at the age of 14 and chose the pseudonym "Yurii Ruf." He founded the "Spirit of the Nation" literary project.

"Yurii Ruf has died. In the battles for Ukraine. Like a warrior. He was a poet who praised Ukrainian achievements. He himself became a part of the Ukrainian victory," wrote his friend Anton Petrivskyi.