On the front line, defending Ukraine from the invaders, Andrii Yaremenko laid down his life. He was a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an athlete of national caliber, a multiple medalist of Ukrainian championships and cups in Greco-Roman wrestling, and a member of the national team. This happened on December 4, 2025. The Hero was just nine days short of his 26th birthday.
In 2025, Andrii was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he confronted the enemy as an operator of unmanned systems in the 115th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces (military unit A7043, 1st Battalion). In the Zaporizhzhia sector, he performed work that demanded not only technical skill but also a cool head, precision, and endurance—the very qualities he had cultivated for years in sport. His brothers-in-arms and commanders quickly accepted him as an equal: composed, disciplined, capable of making difficult decisions without unnecessary emotion.
Andrii was born on December 13, 1999, in Zhytomyr. He studied at Zhytomyr Secondary School No. 8. From the age of seven, his life became inseparably linked with Greco-Roman wrestling—first at a youth sports school, where training grew into a true passion.
His first coach, Dmytro Piskun, recalls Andrii as a young man in whom a champion was evident even before the first major competitions. At the Berezne Sports Boarding Lyceum, Andrii established himself as a leader on the mat. He represented the Zhytomyr region at national and international competitions, became a multiple medalist at national tournaments, and earned a place on the Ukrainian national team. At the Cadet World Championship, he achieved an impressive 10th place.
After completing his studies at the lyceum, Andrii enrolled at Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University, Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports, where he obtained a master’s degree. He envisioned himself as a coach—someone able to work side by side, to explain, support, and advise. Friends and colleagues spoke of him as a person with a keen sense of justice, inner balance, and a big heart. In the same way, he joined his military unit: without loud words, but with full responsibility for the common cause.
Andrii was killed while carrying out a combat mission. He dreamed of training children, starting a family, living an ordinary yet full life—and he left behind the deep sense of loss of a person who could and should have done so much more. But the unjust war, and the relentless and treacherous advance of the enemy, stood in the way of those dreams.
The farewell to Andrii Yaremenko took place at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Zhytomyr. He was laid to rest on the Alley of Glory at the Korbutivske City Cemetery.
Eternal memory to the Hero.