Vitaliy MYKHAILETS

On September 29, 2026, during a combat mission near the village of Malynivka in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk region, the life of sapper driver, Order of Courage recipient, and railway worker Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Mykhailiets was cut short. An enemy FPV kamikaze drone struck the unit's vehicle, inflicting fatal injuries on the soldier. The defender was only 39 years old.

Vitaliy was born on May 15, 1987, in the village of Lukyantsi in the Kharkiv district of Kharkiv region. His path as a defender began in 2014 when he took up arms to protect Ukraine in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone. For his exceptional bravery and selflessness in battle, he was awarded the high state honor of the Order of Courage.

In civilian life, starting in February 2020, Vitaliy dedicated himself to the steel highways, joining the Romny railway distance of the regional branch "Southern Railway" of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia." Working as a 3rd category track layer at the Sula station's section No. 6, he quickly earned a high reputation. Colleagues remember him as a person with an exceptional sense of humor, an incredibly open, hardworking, and reliable friend who always knew how to ease tension with a kind word or a witty joke.

From the first days of the full-scale invasion on February 25, 2022, Vitaliy rejoined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the engineering and sapper unit of the renowned 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky. Even from the most hellish sections of the front, during short leaves, he always hurried to visit his railway colleagues, who had become a true second family to him.

The fallen hero is survived by his wife and mother.

The team of the Romny railway distance of the regional branch "Southern Railway" of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" bows its heads in deep sorrow and expresses sincere condolences to Vitaliy Mykhailiets' wife, mother, relatives, and comrades. The bright memory of his heroic deeds, humanity, courage, and kind heart will forever live in our memories.

Eternal glory and honor to the Hero!