Oleksandr ZHARAVIN

Oleksandr was born in the city of Verkhovtseve in the Dnipropetrovsk region. He graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Railway Transport Technical School and dedicated 24 years of his life to the railway. He began his career as a trackman in the Verkhovtseve track maintenance unit. Later, he became a foreman (dismissed) for the current maintenance and repair of tracks and artificial structures.

On July 27, 2020, Oleksandr was mobilized. He served as a senior driver of the 2nd infantry section of the 2nd infantry platoon of the 2nd infantry company.

55-year-old Oleksandr Zharavin died on the first day of the war, February 24, 2022, in the Henichesk district of the Kherson region from a direct hit by an enemy shell on an armored reconnaissance vehicle.

He was posthumously awarded the Order of "For Courage" of the III degree.

His wife, Anastasia, shares: "Sashko and I have three daughters. At the end of 2021, we bought a solid house in Verkhovtseve and had big plans for our future life. My husband really wanted to move to his dream city—Henichesk—after our daughters became independent and it was time to retire. He loved spending time here with the children and also planned to spend time with our grandchildren by the Sea of Azov. But the war started, and it was in those areas that he died under artillery fire. He was a kind, sensitive, and helpful person. His favorite pastime outside of work was beekeeping. Together with his friend and colleague, Serhiy Parubets, they kept about fifty hives and spent every free moment on this laborious but fascinating hobby.

Our eldest daughter, Angelina, like her father, is also in the railway industry, working as a signalman in the track maintenance unit. She gave us a grandson named Oleksandr in honor of his fallen grandfather. Angelina graduated from the railway college in Dnipro and is a future traffic organizer. Our middle daughter, Yevheniya, is also studying at the same college, while the youngest, Vasylysa, is still in school."

Oleksandr is survived by his wife, three daughters, and his mother, Lyudmyla Hryhorivna.