Athlete. Defender. Man of Honor. On July 14, 2023, during a combat mission in the Kherson region, Oleksiy Dyahovets — a Ukrainian serviceman, law enforcement officer, and athlete—was killed in action. He was 36 years old.
Oleksiy was a passionate athlete, player, and captain of the rugby team “Camelot,” as well as the founder of the Rugby Federation of Chernihiv Oblast. In 2013, he united like-minded people around himself and made a significant contribution to the development of rugby in the region.
“He was a bright soul. Not only was he a leader in sports, but he also got involved wherever people needed his help,” recalls Dmytro Samoylenko, a member of the Rugby Federation of Ukraine’s council.
“He was the best on the field and beyond it — a role model for all the guys!” wrote his colleagues at the Rugby Federation of Chernihiv Oblast.
Oleksiy Dyahovets was born and raised in the village of Novi Borovychi in the Snova community. He graduated from the local school and later from the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv State Pedagogical University. For a time, he worked as a physical education instructor at the National University “Chernihiv Polytechnic.”
“He was a person of the future… We wished there were more people like him shaping Ukraine’s tomorrow,” remembers university lecturer Volodymyr Bazylevych.
In his early twenties, Oleksiy joined law enforcement. He worked as a patrol police officer, then as deputy head of the police department in Chernihiv. Later, he headed the preventive activities division of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the region.
Oleksiy faced the start of the full-scale invasion on duty. On February 23, 2022, his police unit was setting up checkpoints around Chernihiv. Soon after, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The brave warrior fell in the Kherson region during a combat mission, giving his life for our freedom.
After Oleksiy’s death, his friends, teammates from “Camelot,” and the Chernihiv sports community established an annual rugby tournament in his honor. This event has become a tradition, preserving the memory of the athlete and defender of Ukraine who dedicated many years to sport and laid down his life for the country.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and mother.
Oleksiy Dyahovets will forever remain in memory as a man of strength, resilience, and dignity — on the playing field, in formation, and in life.