On 13 January 2026, Vitalii Maslo passed away. He was 51 years old. For nearly a month, he had been in a hospital in Zaporizhzhia after sustaining severe wounds at the front. Despite complex surgeries performed by doctors, his life could not be saved.
From an early age, Vitalii Maslo was devoted to handball. He later became a coach, working with young people. He studied at Kyiv Youth Sports School No. 17 and subsequently remained there to work with children. He also played for veteran teams. His path in sport was closely tied to training young handball players and developing school handball in Kyiv.
He was among the initiators of the creation of the Borshchahivets Youth Sports School and trained children there for many years. He was involved in organizing the training process, forming the coaching staff, and working daily with his young athletes.
A colleague and longtime acquaintance of Vitalii’s, coach Yevhen Rachok, who had known him since their youth and played alongside him on the veteran team Legion 21, remembers him as a principled and responsible person, attentive to children and deeply committed to the work that defined his life.
With the beginning of the full-scale war, Vitalii Maslo joined the military. He was wounded, recovered, and returned to his brothers-in-arms at the front.
Kyiv bid farewell to Vitalii on his final journey on 19 January 2026.
Eternal and blessed memory to the Defender.