Oleksandr HNATENKO

Oleksandr Hnatenko lived in the town of Popasna, Luhansk region. He graduated from Popasna Vocational Technical School No. 85, where he trained as a foreman for the maintenance and repair of railway tracks. He worked as a trackman of the 3rd category at the Popasna railway distance. He dedicated 32 years of his life to working on the railway.

With the onset of the full-scale invasion by the enemy in 2022, he moved with his family to the town of Drohobych in the Lviv region.

On April 28, 2022, Oleksandr joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served as an inspector of the border service of the 2nd category – a driver of the third group of mortars in the first fire section of the mortar border post of the first rapid response border command of the first border detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

49-year-old Sergeant Oleksandr Hnatenko was killed on January 1, 2025, in the village of Zelenyi Hai, Kharkiv region, from multiple gunshot wounds.

Friends and colleagues knew Oleksandr as a true patriot of his homeland, a man with a sincere and kind heart, a pure and bright soul, and an open smile. He could not sit quietly at home when the large-scale invasion of Ukraine began and took up arms to defend his country.

Oleksandr is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son. We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

The team at the Popasna railway distance mourns the irreparable loss. Eternal memory and honor to our colleague and hero!