Mykola Kuryliuk was born on December 18, 1974. In his youth, his heart belonged to football — a game that nurtured in him willpower, endurance, and a spirit of teamwork.
He studied at the football sports school in Ivano-Frankivsk and represented his region in national children’s and youth tournaments. His name was well known among the youth teams Kolos (Pidhirya) and Druzhba (Bohorodchany). In the early 1990s, Mykola stood out among his peers on the field — reliable and confident, he was one of the best defenders.
Since 1994, Mykola lived in the village of Starunia in the Bohorodchany community, where his football story continued. As a member of the local club FC Starunia, he twice became the regional champion and won the Ivano-Frankivsk Region Cup with the Kolos Physical Culture and Sports Society. Everyone who knew Mykola remembered him not only as a talented athlete but also as a man with an open heart — honest, disciplined, and deeply devoted to his team.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Mykola did not hesitate to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His comrades-in-arms remember him as calm, steadfast, and utterly dependable — someone you could always count on. Just as on the football field, he protected his own, always went first, and never shied away from the hardest missions.
On May 2, 2023, while carrying out a combat mission near the town of Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia region, Mykola sustained a severe wound. After a difficult surgery, he spent a long time in rehabilitation, dreaming of returning to normal life and to his home village. But his body could no longer endure the exhaustion. On January 14, 2024, Mykola Kuryliuk passed into eternity. He was only 49.
The farewell ceremony for the soldier took place in his native Starunia, at the Church of St. Paraskeva the Martyr.