He gave his life for Ukraine. Combat medic, athlete, junior sergeant of an air assault battalion, and Brovary native Mykola Antoshkin was killed on the front line. He was 45 years old.
Mykola Antoshkin was born in Murmansk into a military family. When he was 12, his family moved to Kyiv, where he attended school in the Troieshchyna district. They later settled in Brovary, the city he would come to call home.
After graduating from high school, Mykola enrolled at the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. He later spent three years serving with the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in Africa. That experience became an important part of his professional development and proved invaluable after the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion, when he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In Brovary, Mykola was known not only as a serviceman but also as an accomplished athlete. He played for the Desna Hockey Club, where the sport instilled in him speed, resilience, teamwork, and a deep sense of responsibility—qualities that defined him throughout his life.
Mykola joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2025. He served as a junior sergeant and platoon combat medic in an air assault battalion. The work of a combat medic on the front line demands extraordinary courage and carries constant responsibility for the lives of fellow soldiers. Such was the nature of his service.
Those who knew Mykola remember him as a kind and compassionate man. He had a genuine love for animals, cared for stray dogs and cats, and never hesitated to help those in need.
Mykola Antoshkin fought his final battle on July 3, 2026, near the village of Havrylivka in the Synelnykove District of the Dnipropetrovsk Region. He was killed while carrying out a combat mission.
On July 16, 2026, family members, friends, brothers-in-arms, and fellow residents gathered in Brovary to bid farewell to the fallen defender. They will remember Mykola Antoshkin as a remarkable man, an athlete, and a warrior who remained faithful to his duty until his final breath.
He was laid to rest on the Alley of Glory at the city cemetery.
Eternal memory.