The Russian occupiers took a life that was just beginning. In Zaporizhzhia region, 21-year-old Andrii Yurchenko was killed.
He was born on 12 December 2001 in Chernihiv. Since childhood, he has tried various sports, but judo was his favourite. So at the age of 6, he started attending a section where he found good friends and a real mentor in life – his coach. After years of hard training, he received the title of candidate master of sports. He entered the Chernihiv Lyceum with enhanced military and physical training, and in 2019 he started to study at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. Judo helped him to realize himself and show good results while getting higher education.
Andrii consciously chose the military path and devoted himself to it. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, he defended Kyiv. In 2023, he received his bachelor’s degree and continued his service. He was one of the best artillery specialists in the artillery unit, so he was sent to study at the Royal School of Artillery in the UK. There, he mastered foreign weapons and equipment, learned everything he needed to destroy the enemy.
Despite his young age, Andrii became the commander of a artillery battery. Under his command, the unit took part in the battles for Bakhmut, Orikhiv, Robotyne and Verbove.
Unfortunately, the war does not pay attention to age, experience or anything else. The ruthless war daily takes the lives of Ukrainians both on the front line and far beyond it with the hands of the Russian occupiers. On 30 August 2023, 21-year-old Andrii Yurchenko was killed in Zaporizhzhia region during reconnaissance to determine the location of firing positions. His group was fired by enemy artillery. There was a direct hit to their vehicle.
On 6 September, he was laid to rest. The farewell ceremony for Andrii Yurchenko, the fallen Hero of Ukraine, has been attended by family, friends and comrades. According to them, Andrii was an extremely open-minded, young, cheerful and carefree guy, but at the same time a skilled, brave and very professional soldier. In his memory, on 28 March 2024, a charity judo tournament was held in his native Chernihiv to raise funds for a car for his stepfather, who is also defending Ukraine.