"Danya is already a Hero, and we knew this truth even during his lifetime," often repeated Commander Rostislav Lazarenko, recalling the young attack pilot.
The commander was not exaggerating at all.
Each of Danilo Murashko's 137 combat sorties could have been his last.
In the summer of 2023, a decree №422/2023 appeared on the website of the President of Ukraine, which officially confirmed the heroism of the young officer.
Rostislav Lazarenko noted that Danilo not only actively participated in combat actions but also intensively studied English during the inter-annual breaks. It was his aspiration to be among the first to undergo retraining on F-16s. At just 24 years old, he already had a clear vision for the future of Ukraine and its aviation.
"I was convinced that Danya should be one of the first on the F, as he was an incredible person — both in combat experience and as a friend, and he already had the qualities of a commander. I don't even mention his talents as a pilot. I never heard him say: 'I won't fly, I'm tired, I want to go home...' Never… For him, the war was always the top priority." He fought for all Ukrainians, regardless of direction. I recommended to him: 'Learn English! I'll take care of everything else!' And he, investing his own money, enrolled in courses, communicated, memorized… Danya fought and at the same time studied, improving himself like no one else..."
The commander recounted that at the beginning of 2022, young officer Murashko had limited experience. But it was he, along with his comrades, who became the foundation of the unit.
"Danilo, growing from the least prepared pilot, became the strongest. I knew that if there was a possibility to accomplish a task, he would do it. He was able to anticipate the enemy's actions and successfully complete the attack. He always said: 'Palich, let me take off! There are guys! We need to help!' Even when the conditions for carrying out the mission were, to put it mildly, not entirely favorable. He always managed to cope… Frankly speaking, I naively believed that Danya would survive and achieve victory. We had so many conversations about this..." said Lazarenko.
On January 27, 2023, during a combat sortie, Captain Danilo Murashko heroically died near Kramatorsk… "I diverted!" — those were the only words that Danya managed to shout.
"I am sure that Danya would not want us to give up. We will continue to fight against the 'Russian world' and drive this filth from our land! Just as it should be…".
Eternal memory to the Hero!
Anastasia Olekhnovych
Photo from the ArmyInform website
Prepared by the Ukrainian National Agency Ukrinform in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory and the online media of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ArmyInform
