Vitalii Mazur was born on September 25, 1979, in the village of Zasluchchia, Dubrovytsia Raion, Rivne Oblast.
After finishing 10 forms at Kolky Comprehensive School in 1996, he studied at Dubrovytsia Vocational School from 1996 to 1997 to be a builder.
In 1997, Vitalii was drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in the Airborne Forces in Simferopol. Shortly afterward, he did compulsory military service in the special forces in Kirovohrad. His further service Vitalii connected with the assault forces where he was a master sergeant of the reconnaissance company and a chief of the food warehouse. Vitalii had been serving as a master sergeant of the 3rd Air-mobile Rota in the Military Base A1910, Korbutivka Raion, for a long time. Before the outbreak of hostilities, he was appointed a Chief Petty Officer of the 13th Battalion.
On March 8, 2014, Vitalii performed combat missions to defend the Motherland, first in the Crimea, then on the east. On January 22, he got a severe battle injury to the head near such settlements as Spartak (Yasynuvata Raion) – Sieverne near Donetsk Airport. Because of it, he was in a coma. Volunteers informed that Vitalii Mazur died on the night of January 27, 2015, in Demytrovo hospital, Donetsk Oblast, where he was delivered with severe head trauma.
He was buried at Smoliansk Military Cemetery in Zhytomyr.
Vitalii Mazur was decorated with a Memorable Badge of Honor “For Military Valor”.
Publications about Mazur V.V.
Commander of the 13th airmobile battalion of the Zhytomyr brigade said about deceased Vitaliy Mazur: «It’s a very big loss».
On January 28, Zhytomyr farewell to a serviceman of the 95th brigade Vitaliy Mazur.
The 35-year-old chief officer of the 13th separate aeromobile battalion is from Rivne region. For a long time he served in the 95th separate aeromobile brigade. On March 8, he, one of the first, went to the Crimea to defend Ukrainian borders.
Last November his unit returned to the place of deployment to restore combat readiness and returned to Donetsk region on January 19. On January 22, during the battle near Donetsk airport, Vitaliy Mazur was seriously wounded, after that in 4 days he died at the hospital in Donetsk.
«It was fight about 11 o’clock on January 22. Near the village Spartak and Donetsk airport. Our positions were followed by a counter-offensive by the enemy. We were followed by tanks, and combat vehicles, and mortar shells. It was all in one. Vitaliy was injured, fell into coma, our doctors provided him with help. It’s a very big loss. I can’t even imagine anyone to replace him in this position, which he occupied. The man was really irreplaceable» said Oleksandr Porkhun
, commander of the 13th airborne battalion.
Say «Goodbye» to the soldier came about thousand people. Relatives and friends of the deceased said, that Vitaliy Mazur was completely devoted to military affairs.
«Vitaliy was always ahead, always. It was a real sergeant, a true “father”, though young. He could lead a group, could sit behind the wheel, could do any task. He was a man with a capital letter. Defender of his Motherland with capital letter. He is a hero, a true hero. Eternal memory to him», – said during the farewell ceremony former intelligence chief of the 95th separate aeromobile brigade Ihor Dziuba.
To honor the memory of the hero came also dozens of people who personally didn’t know the soldier.
«It’s very difficult when our soldiers die. I see on the front, as the guys are fighting. You see, for me, they are all heroes, from a soldier to a colonel. I could not come. I ask people very much, I appeal to them: let’s help our boys who can, because only through the help of our people, the indifference of our people, we can defend our country and can defeat our enemy,» said Yulia Tolmachova, a Zhytomyr volunteer who one of the first began to bring assistance to the military on the front line
Vitaliy Mazur was saw off with cries «Heroes don’t die». He was buried in Zhytomyr at military cemetery.
The soldier left a wife and two children of school age.
In Dubrovytskyi district three memorial plaques, which are dedicated to the victims of ATO were consecrated
Immediately in Dubrovytskyi district in three institutions were opened memorial plaques to soldiers, fellow-countrymen, who died during ATO. Memorable signs were installed at educational institutions where state defenders were studying. One board was opened in the village Zasluchchia. Here was honored the deceased senior envoy Vitaliy Mazur. The serviceman died at the hospital in the east from the injury, which he received during a combat task in Donetsk airport. Vitaliy Mazur was buried in Zhytomyr region in January.
Volleyball tournament in memory of Vitaliy Mazur
On January 27, in the sports hall of Zaslutsky NVK, a volleyball tournament was held in memory of the deceased in ATO Vitaliy Mazur.
In the village Zasluchchia people worship the heroic deed of their courageous villagers, who laid the young lives for Ukraine. His life is an example of genuine love for the native land, so youth has the opportunity to match not to the book heroes, but to the person from the real life. And I think the best expression of gratitude to Hero will be our desire to build a country, where the childhood will be happy and carefree, youth will full of energy and accomplishment, and old age is calm and protected. Therefore, holding the tournament in memory of the Hero is a very good idea: let the youth steel in sport, grows strong, courageous and patriotic.
The sponsor of the tournament has traditionally been the charity fund of the People’s Deputy of Ukraine Vasyl Yanitskyi «Our land», which also installed the memorial plaque in memory of Vitaliy Mazur on the facade of his native school. Competitions were held among boys from classes 7-9. Six teams fought for victory. Young volleyball players from Zaluzhzhia won the competition. The second were zasluchany, and the third place was won by young volleyball players from Udrytskyi NVK. The team of owners received a gift from the charity fund «Nash krai»: a set of sport uniforms.
Oksana Slobodzian
