Pavlo Komyshanchenko, a cycling coach, was killed by an enemy subversive reconnaissance unit near Avdiivka, Donetsk region.
He was born on February 18, 1974. Since childhood, he has been involved in cycling. Due to his numerous victories at competitions at various levels, Pavlo was a very promising athlete. He repeatedly became a winner and medalist of the Ukrainian road cycling championships among juniors and youth, was a champion of the country’s youth Spartakiad, for which he later received the title of candidate for master of sports, and was a member of the Ukrainian national junior team.
His success in sports also paved the direction of his education. Pavlo studied at the Kharkiv State Higher School of Physical Culture № 1, and then entered the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture.
After completing his sports career, he implemented his knowledge in educating future generations. He started working as a coach at the “Olimp” Sports School and the “Peremoha” club in Kharkiv. Later, he moved to Poltava with his family.
From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, he was ready to go to defend Ukraine with arms, but he was not accepted because his spine was broken in three places. He had not been called up for a year, but later he was mobilized and went to the front. He served as a senior rifleman-operator in Donetsk region, repelling the occupiers’ attacks near Avdiivka.
On January 18, 2024, Pavlo turned 50 years old. On that day, friends recall how they congratulated him. Despite the holiday, his mood was certainly not festive, although he did not show how bad and difficult things were. But everyone realized how hard it was on the front line.
On February 10, Pavlo was performing a combat operation near Avdiivka, during which he captured an occupier. On his way back, he encountered an enemy subversive reconnaissance unit. Unfortunately, the Russian occupiers wounded Pavlo in the leg, and he just bled to death… The Hero’s wife and two daughters were waiting for him at home…