Ivan Sova was born on January 19, 1976, in the village of Bryhadivka, Radyvyliv Raion of Rivne Oblast. He was the second child in the family. His mother worked in a kindergarten as a laundry master, and his father was an operator at a local farm. In 1980, the family moved to live in a newly built house in the nearby village of Zarichne. Since 1983 Ivan studied in Kozyn Secondary School and starting from the 4th class in Kozyn Music School in accordion class. From 1991 to 1995 Ivan studied at Rivne Music College. After graduation, he served in the Army in the town of Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Ivan received a military specialty as a grenade launcher gunner. After returning from the army he got married, lived and worked as a Music Teacher in the town of Zdolbuniv. In 2000, Ivan returned home to the village of Zarichne. Together with his brother, he took part in the Orange Revolution of 2004.
After the annexation of the Crimea, he enlisted as a volunteer. On September 8, Ivan was sent to a training ground in the town of Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast. Ivan lacked two fingers on the hand, that is why he did not pass medical commission, but he categorically refused to return home.
On September 28, 2014, the 80th Aeromobile Brigade, in which Ivan Sova served as a grenade launcher gunner, was sent to the East. On September 30 the Brigade located not far from the city of Luhansk near the city of Donetsk, where they got fired for the first time. The last time he called his mom was on September 5 at 5.30 am: 12 hours later at 17.30 Ivan died in a battle when a brigade of 97 soldiers in six armored transport vehicle and two tanks decided to escape from the encirclement.
According to the Presidential Executive Order №282/2015 on May 23, 2015, Ivan was posthumously decorated with the Third Class Order For Bravery “for personal courage and high professionalism demonstrated in the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and loyalty to the military oath”.
AND WE WILL KEEP THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN FOR UKRAINE
Before writing about a funeral of the senior soldier of the 80th airmobile brigade in the anti-terrorist operation zone Ivana Sova who was born in 1976, I looked at Wikipedia what the “war” and “anti-terrorist operation, ATO” are.I read: “War – the difficult social and political phenomenon connected with the solution of contradictions between the states, the people, national and social groups with transition to application of instruments of war that occurs in the form of fighting between their armed forces”. About Further: “ATO – a complex of the coordinated special events directed to warning, prevention and suppression of the criminal actions committed with the terrorist purpose, release of hostages, neutralization of terrorists, minimization of effects of the act of terrorism or other crime performed with the terrorist purpose”. Dear reader, make the conclusions by yourself, what proceeds in the east of the country. Unfortunately, a funeral of Ukrainian heroes who died in Donbas becomes an everyday occurrence in our country. And it is a bad tendency.
And it is good that our people’s spirit of strength is firm as a steel, that our invincible desire to live in a state that needs protection now. And in ranks of her brave warriors there are our fellow countrymen, yesterday people of peace professions.
Funeral of Ivan Sova, the native of Zarichne, was populous. Many inhabitants of all the district from Kozyn, Serednie, Brygadyrivka, Dovgalivka, and, of course, from Zarichne came to the grave of the died hero to carry through the last path. There arrived military from the 80th airmobile brigade which is based in Lviv and from the Lubensk garrison headed by the military commissioner S. Czaruk. The chairman of regional council A. Pastukh, the chairman of the district state administration V. Kondik with the first deputy I. Shkolyar laid a wreath to the hero too, expressed condolences to the family of the Ukrainian patriotic soldier. The Father Taras thanked parents for the son-hero also who together with other sixteen priests of Ukrainian Orthodox Church-KP and all people prayed for the peace of soul of the died soldier in the Kingdom of Heaven, for the peace and the state.
As Sergey Roslyuk, Ivan Sova’s schoolmate told, that he volunteered to be mobilized in the Ukrainian army. Parents, Vasyl Grygorovych and Olga Grygorivna, learned about the decision of the son when he already settled all formalities. And on August 8 he was called in the eightieth airmobile brigade and was appointed to a position of the senior gunner of an airmobile and landing squadron of airmobile and landing battalion. After the corresponding two-week preparation on a polygon on Lviv region he was directed to the east. Without a doubt, he showed prowess and courage in fights with terrorists. And further I will quote the message from the Internet: “on September 5, for an hour to the order to stop the fire, the terrorists arranged an ambush and fired a group of Aidar battalion and paratroopers of the 80th separate airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces. On Monday, September 8, as a result of arrangements with separatists, it was succeeded to take away bodies of the killed Aidar battalion and paratroopers”. The elder brother Alexander has taken away the body of the dead and has got home, in Zarichne on Monday, and on Tuesday a funeral has taken place.
As schoolmates and Ivan Sova’s friends told, he was sincere the Ukrainian patriot. In protection of Ukraine didn’t rely on someone, he spoke, “who if not I”. Therefore when there was a threat of statehood of the country, he has gone to protect her. And before, as my interlocutors noticed, Ivan was an active participant of the Euromajdan. And at school what he was, I am interested. Quiet, sociable – I hear in reply.
After the termination of the Kozin ten-year school Ivan studied in the Rivne musical school, but in the specialty worked as the music teacher not for long. Obviously, the fact that parents accustomed to agricultural work has affected. In 1995 – 1996 he underwent compulsory military service. He was married, some time he lived in Zdolbuniv. But life, as the rural head of Ivashhuky S. Gutsman added, has disposed so that he has returned to the native village, worked, and with the father managed on the earth. They processed their shares, had and leased. They started to use technology. Just live, work, dreams!
Buried Ivan Sovu with all military honors – an honourable escort, brass band, three volley salute. The road was covered in flowers. On the way of a funeral procession from Zarichne to Brygadyrivka many people including pupils from the Kozin kollegium and school of Dovgalivka were stood. People chanted: “Heroes don’t die!”
Reading the burial service over Ivan Sova was in Sacred Church of the Resurrection in Brygadyrivka, have buried in the same village, at the new cemetery. The matter is that Ivan’s parents are parishioners of this church, moreover, Vasyl Grygorovych – the native of this village.
Ivan Sova has sacrificed the life in fight against terrorists and invaders in the east of the country. In the name of the state of Ukraine, all of us. As the artilleryman of the same 80th airmobile brigade V. Paczula who was present at a funeral, who the other day has returned from a front line has told, the Ukrainian military – are ready to stand up, as they say, to the last breath for Ukraine, for themselves, and has told “for Ukraine, for himself”. The fighting spirit is high. So we have this spirit to support who we can. And we have sacredly to keep memory of the fallen for Ukraine.
«Heroes don’t die.»
CONSECRATION OF A MONUMENT TO THE SOLDIER
On August 24, 2015 in the village of Brygadyrivka on a grave of the died soldier Sova Ivan Vasylovych the monument has been consecrated. Nearly a year has passed as this brave hero has given the life for the sake of us, falled in fight. This day when the country celebrates the 24th anniversary of independence, people come to a grave to honor the soldier-hero.
To consecration there have arrived priests of deanery, heads of the area, chorus of clergy of the Rivne diocese “Anafora”, the family and friends of the dead. Everyone in soul has brought with itself a sparkle of love and gratitude for a great feat of the hero and defender of our earth. There was laying flowers on the grave. The choir of the village of Brygadyrivka of the Holy-Resurrection temple sang for the dead the spiritual and patriotic song.
Cathedral of priests led by a decent archpriest Igor Danylyuk been finished a rank of consecration of a monument to the soldier accompanied by priests of chorus “Anafora”. After that, prior of parish from the village of Brygadyrivka the archpriest Vasyl Sydoruk has addressed all attendees with an instructive word, told which a burden was undertaken by the the servant of God Ivan that today from gratitude everyone has found time and has come for a joint prayer for the dead.
The chorus “Anafora” has honored memory of the died soldier with a concert, having performed religious and patriotic works in which sounded the sadness and hope that this big victim isn’t vain. The mother Victoriya has executed the poem song “Mother, Do Not Cry, I Will Return in the Spring”. And between performance of pieces of music spoke the chairman of state administration of the district Radyvyliv Vashhuk Oleg Volodymyrovych, the military commander Mr. Igor, the class teacher of the Rivne music college where Ivan Sova studied, Palchevska Nataliya Vasylivna; several works on musical instruments were heard.
This grave will be the symbolical place of memory of all fallen fighters for freedom and independence of Ukraine, and annually on August 24 here the prayer for the dead will be made.
In the end, it has been said imperishable memory to the hero and it is executed the spiritual anthem of Ukraine “Prayer for Ukraine”.
