On April 9, 2026, Nikita Lytvynov — a soldier and athlete — was killed in action defending Ukraine. He was only 23 years old.
The Hero was a graduate of the gymnastics department of the Sumy Comprehensive Children and Youth Sports School. Over the years of training, he developed into a disciplined and determined athlete with diverse sporting interests. Nikita also played for the Sumy hockey club, combining the technical precision of gymnastics with the endurance and teamwork of hockey.
Having taken up arms to defend his homeland, he served in the Polissia Air Assault Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His life was cut short while carrying out a combat mission in the Dnipropetrovsk direction as a result of an enemy drone strike.
The Ukrainian sports community has suffered yet another irreparable loss.
Eternal memory and glory to the Hero.