On March 13, 2024, in the Donetsk region, Sergeant Ivan Feseniuk was killed in action — a courageous defender, an international-class kickboxing master, a longtime coach, a patriot, and a devoted son of Ukraine. He was only 30.
Ivan was born in Kyiv to a large family, where he learned perseverance and brotherhood from an early age. He earned a specialist degree from the Faculty of Instrumentation at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and later completed his master’s degree at the Faculty of Physical Culture, Sports and Health at the Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav.
Sport was Ivan Feseniuk’s true calling. He was an active supporter of the Dynamo Kyiv football club and began training in kickboxing at the age of fifteen under coach Oleksandr Popov. What started as a teenage passion became a professional path. Ivan didn’t just train — he triumphed. He was a university champion, a student champion of Kyiv, and later a multiple-time winner of regional and national tournaments. In 2019, he conquered the world, winning two gold and one bronze medal at the Kickboxing World Championship.
Even while actively competing, Ivan dedicated himself to coaching. Since 2016, he worked as a martial arts and combat sports coach. In 2017, he founded his own sports club, BonusTeam. Together with friends, he launched the company “Capitals,” where they nurtured a new generation of patriotic youth. He also joined the civil society organization “Centuria” as a kickboxing coach.
Ivan Feseniuk served in the National Corps “Azov” starting in 2014. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he defended Kyiv as part of the Territorial Defense Forces, later joining the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In September 2022, he was appointed commander of the commandant’s platoon. He fought on the Zaporizhzhia front, in Bakhmut, and in Avdiivka. In 2023, Ivan was awarded combat honors — the “For Indomitable Spirit” medal and the “Golden Cross.” His life was cut short in the spring of 2024 near the village of Orlivka in the Pokrovsk direction: the Hero suffered fatal wounds while rescuing a wounded comrade.
His comrades remember him as a fair and capable commander, a man of honor and principle. He was not only a warrior — he remained an athlete to his last breath. Always with upright posture, a clear gaze, and the confidence of a true champion who never backed down, whether in the ring or on the battlefield. For many, he was a living symbol of strength, loyalty, and dignity.
Ivan Feseniuk was laid to rest at Berkovetske Cemetery in Kyiv. He is survived by three brothers, two sisters, and his beloved. His mother could not bear the loss — her heart stopped five months after her son’s death.
Blessed be the memory of this defender of Ukraine. Heroes never die…