Oleksandr Vasylets was born on May 8, 1978 in the village of Bohushi, Berezne District, Rivne Region. He lived in the city of Bila Tserkva.
Oleksandr served as a junior sergeant, a vehicle commander, and a squad leader of the 72nd independent mechanized infantry brigade. OleksandrVasylets died in the night shelling on July 28, 2014 at the checkpoint “Chervonopartyzansk”Luhansk Region. Oleksandr left two small children.
During several days, the body of the deceased soldier could not be moved from the battlefield.
By Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 873/2014 on November 14, 2014, he was posthumously awarded the III class Order for Bravery “For personal courage and heroism demonstrated in the defense of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath”.
Publications about OleksandrVasylets
All inhabitants of the village came to put the soldier to his final resting place
A 36-year-old soldier and a father of two children was buried in Bohushi Village. He died during the military operations in the east of Ukraine. Fellow villagers, representatives of local and regional authorities, activists of the Maidan People’s Union, soldiers were mourning together with the family of the defender of Ukraine.
During the last years of his life, Oleksandr had been living and working in Kyiv Region. In April he was called to join the army ostensibly for 45 days but then they kept him for a longer period. His relatives told that at first, he served in Donetsk, then he was transferred closer to Luhansk, after that to Chervonopartyzansk, and the last time not far from the village Dibrov in Donetsk Region. A week before the tragedy, he called his aunt and told her about all difficulties of military service.
Maybe he felt that death was near him as a day before the tragedy Oleksandr phoned all his relatives. He said to his aunt frankly that all of them would be killed soon but he asked her not to tell this to his mother.
That night he was standing on guard duty when at 3 o’clock a fragment of a mortar shell struck him just in the head.
During the funeral, the head of the village N. Kovbar told some kind words about the deceased:
“All of us are mourning. Oleksandr was a very kind man so may he rest in peace. Let’s be more kind to each other and ask God to stop this calamity of our country.”
“Today a warrior returned home, he was one of us,” said the head of regional state administration D. Yermachenko during his eulogy. “He was born and growing up with us but he couldn’t return home alive as he died to save peace on our land. Throughout history, Ukrainians are fighting and giving their lives for the independence of our country.”
The head of a village Kolonshchyna Kyiv Region where Oleksandr had lived, told that he could stay alive: “I had talked toOleksandr almost before a few hours to his death and I want everyone to know that he had a choice. He told me: “You know I will die. We were asked to get out of here alive, putting down our arms but I will not do this.” He is a Hero for us.” she finished her speech. After that, his mother said: “He is a Hero for everyone but I lost my son”.
At the end of the funeral ceremony, the military brass band played the National Anthem of Ukraine and soldiers gave a triple salute from their guns.
Part of the funds which had been collected in the district for buying protection equipment for compatriot-soldiers was transferred to his family to help them with burying the deceased.
