On February 6, 2025, while carrying out a combat mission near the village of Zelenyi Hai in the Izium district of Kharkiv region, Ukrainian soldier and talented athlete Mykyta Kalin was killed. He was only 23 years old.
Mykyta was born on July 25, 2001, in Zhovti Vody, Dnipropetrovsk region. Later, his family moved to Brovary, near Kyiv, where he attended Secondary School No. 9. From an early age, he was passionate about sports, especially football, which became his true calling.
He began his youth football career with the U-17 team of “Kolos” from Kovalivka, playing in the Children’s and Youth Football League of Ukraine. Later, he represented several teams from the Brovary district, including “Skif,” “MFK Brovary,” “Bohdanivka,” and “Favorit” from Trebukhiv. In addition to football, Mykyta also played futsal, competing for clubs such as “Impulse,” “Avalon,” and “Best.”
Yet football was not his only passion. For four years, Mykyta practiced horting—a modern martial art created in Ukraine. In 2021, he became the Kyiv region champion in this discipline.
In July 2024, Mykyta voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving as a flamethrower operator in an assault battalion. He fought with the same dedication and fervor that he showed on the football field—giving his all to the cause he believed in. His life was a testament to true patriotism: a young man who not only brought pride to Ukraine through sports but also stood without hesitation to defend his homeland.
Mykyta Kalin is survived by his mother, brother, and fiancée. Ukraine has lost another Hero, the football community—a gifted athlete, and his loved ones—their dearest soul.
Bright memory and eternal glory! Heroes never die!