On March 29, 2022, Mykolaiv was shaken by a missile strike on the building of the Regional State Administration. Among those killed in the attack was Major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an officer of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, and powerlifting athlete Dmytro Kondratenko. That very day, he turned 36.
Dmytro was born on March 29, 1986, in Kirovohrad, now known as Kropyvnytskyi. Yet fate bound him to another city — Mykolaiv. In 2005, he arrived there to complete his compulsory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Mykolaiv became his second home — a city of service, strength, and love.
After completing his mandatory service, Dmytro signed a contract and continued serving in the Air Force. From 2013 onward, he served in the Directorate of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection in the Mykolaiv region. For him, service was not merely a job — it was inner discipline, clarity of judgment, and responsibility for the country’s silence and security.
Yet alongside his military uniform, another dimension always existed in his life — sport.
From 2012, Dmytro trained professionally in powerlifting. He was a Master of Sports of Ukraine and a multiple-time champion of Ukraine and the world. Powerlifting is not only about muscular strength. It is the ability to gather one’s will into a fist. To hold one’s breath. To stand firm under pressure. These were the qualities Dmytro carried from the gym into his service. In addition to strength sports, he was passionate about tactical shooting — another art of concentration.
Dmytro Kondratenko held two higher education degrees. He earned his second degree at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv. He was always drawn to what was new — knowledge, experience, growth. He never stood still, for to him life meant moving forward.
With the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Dmytro remained in the ranks. He defended Mykolaiv — the city that had become his home. He was where an officer was meant to be. Where responsibility cannot be measured in words. On March 29, 2022, a Russian missile struck the building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. On his birthday, Dmytro was killed.
The farewell ceremony took place on April 1, 2022, in Kropyvnytskyi. He was laid to rest as both a warrior and a champion — a man of strength, honor, and dignity.
For personal courage and selfless devotion displayed in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Major Dmytro Kondratenko was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” III degree. He was also decorated with the “For Combat Merit” distinction from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the honorary award “For the Defense of Mykolaiv,” and the Presidential distinction “For the Defense of Ukraine.”
Yet no award can measure such a loss. Eternal memory!