Champion. Warrior. Hero. Denys was born on December 5, 1984, in Zhytomyr and later moved with his family to the village of Cherepynka, in the Tetiyiv community of Kyiv region. Skis were his first passion; the sports field — his first battlefield, where he learned to fight and to win.
As early as fifth grade, Denys enrolled in the Kyiv Regional Lyceum of Physical Culture and Sports in Bila Tserkva — a place where a true athlete was forged. He dedicated his youth entirely to biathlon. His precision, speed, and ability to perform under extreme conditions became not just personal traits, but a way of life.
As a member of the Chernihiv biathlon team (then still competing under the surname Semenchuk), Denys repeatedly climbed the podium. A national competition winner, multiple champion in cross-country skiing, and a biathlon master of sport, he proudly carried the glory of Ukrainian athletics. Twice he won the Ukrainian Cup and earned a silver medal in the junior championships.
At the same time, he studied at the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pedagogical University, specializing in physical education and sport. Later, he entered civilian life, working as a construction designer in Kyiv. Yet even then, Denys remained an athlete — focused, detail-oriented, and always ready for the next race.
Then the war came. From the very first days of the full-scale invasion, Denys joined the territorial defense of his home village. On March 9, 2022, he officially enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As an operator in the 1st unit of a special forces group within the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade, he took on a different, far more difficult relay. His first combat post was at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Later, he took part in the liberation of cities in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
On April 16, 2022, in the village of Nove, Kramatorsk district, while carrying out a combat mission, Denys Ustinov was killed. He was only 37 years old. Strong, courageous, and resilient, he remained a fighter to his last breath. For more than a year, he was considered missing in action. But a mother’s heart is never wrong. He was found. He was laid to rest.
On June 28, 2023, Denys returned home with honor — to his native Cherepynka, no longer a soldier, but a Hero.
For his personal bravery and heroism, Denys Ustinov was posthumously awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd Class, the Presidential Award of Ukraine, and a commemorative medal from the 112th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
His mother, Larysa Ustinova, created a memory book about her son. In its pages — photographs, medals, certificates… and love. Not just the story of one life, but a spark of remembrance for children and grandchildren, so that future generations will know who Denys was, what he stood for, and why he must never be forgotten.
Eternal glory to the Hero.