While saving the lives of his comrades during a battle in the eastern Kharkiv region, Denys Sklyarenko, the coach of the Troieschyna football club, was killed.
Denys, a native of Kyiv, was born on November 1, 1987. From a young age, he loved football, and it was this passion that he chose to dedicate his life to. As a child, he was a player for the Troieschyna FC, and later, after graduating from the National University of Physical Education and Sport and earning a coaching diploma, he became a coach for his home club.
However, his coaching career was abruptly interrupted. On the first day of the Russian invasion, February 24, 2022, when his native Kyiv was shaken by enemy shelling, Denys volunteered to defend his country from the occupiers, joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His combat journey, under the call sign “Sarmat,” took him through the ranks of the 112th Brigade, where he fought in some of the hottest spots on the front lines: near Avdiivka, in the Serebrianske Forest near Kreminna, and in the Kupiansk direction.
Denys Sklyarenko was an exceptional driver, often tasked with evacuating wounded soldiers from the front lines. He would transport his comrades even from minefields, under the constant threat of death, saving many Ukrainian defenders. After being wounded in the Serebrianske Forest, he returned to the front line with his brigade following treatment and recovery.
For his service, “Sarmat” was repeatedly recognized with awards, including the Medal for the Unbreakable Hero at the Yampil Front and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s “Golden Cross” badge. His comrades-in-arms saw him as a model of courage and fortitude, a true man and a great warrior. Denys’s final battle took place on August 30, 2024, near the village of Kyslivka, in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv. He was killed while evacuating the wounded under enemy drone fire.
Upon learning of Denys Sklyarenko’s death, a petition appeared on the official website of the President of Ukraine, requesting that the fallen hero be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.