In Memory of Junior Sergeant Dmytro Halahan
Dmytro Oleksiiovych Halahan was born on April 1, 1997, in Kyiv. He spent his childhood in the village of Kobyzhcha in the Chernihiv region. At the age of 26, he gave his life defending Ukraine.
Dmytro studied at Kyiv School No. 170 and later graduated from the Kyiv College of River and Maritime Transport, where he trained as an engine mechanic.
In 2017, he began his military service and eventually chose the army as his profession. He served with the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi, taking part in combat operations in eastern Ukraine even before Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Two concussions did not stop him
Dmytro experienced the realities of war long before February 2022.
In 2019, he suffered his first concussion near Shyrokyne. A second concussion came in 2022 during combat operations in the Kherson region.
Despite his injuries, Dmytro continued to serve.
According to his family, he believed that he had to remain with his comrades and return to the battlefield. He could not accept the idea that others should fight and die while he stayed away from the front.
A commander at just 25
By the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Dmytro was serving as a junior sergeant and squad commander in a flamethrower platoon.
He took part in combat operations in southern Ukraine and in the fighting connected with the liberation of Kherson.
His comrades remembered him not only as a brave soldier but also as a person who was always ready to help others.
Outside his military duties, Dmytro was interested in modern technologies, IT, 3D modeling, military history, equipment and weapons. He was also fond of reading.
His final battle
In the summer of 2023, his unit was fighting in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
On June 15, 2023, Dmytro Halahan was killed while carrying out a combat mission near Pryiutne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
He was only 26 years old.
His funeral took place on June 22 in his childhood village of Kobyzhcha, where he was laid to rest.
Dmytro was survived by his mother, two younger sisters and his beloved girlfriend.
Awards for courage
For his military service and courage, Dmytro was honored with military awards, including the Golden Cross and the Medal for Exemplary Military Service, 3rd Class.
But for those who knew him, his greatest legacy is not the list of awards.
It is the memory of a young man who chose to defend his country, returned to the battlefield after being wounded, and remained alongside his comrades until the very end.
Dmytro had spent years preparing for a life that was cut short by Russia's war against Ukraine.
He was born in Kyiv, grew up in Chernihiv region, became a Marine, fought in the east, took part in the liberation of Kherson and ultimately gave his life on the Zaporizhzhia front.
Dmytro Halahan will forever remain 26 years old.
Eternal memory and glory to the Ukrainian defender.
Heroes do not die.
