Vitaliy Merinov, a four-time world kickboxing champion, Ukrainian champion in mixed martial arts, and a boxing master of sport, tragically lost his life while fighting Russian occupiers.
Vitaliy enlisted on the first day of the full-scale invasion. During one of the battles, he sustained a gunshot wound to the leg from shrapnel. After recovering, he returned to the frontlines and continued to defend Ukraine until his last breath. On the night of March 31, he succumbed to the injuries he had sustained during combat and passed away in the hospital.
He leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter.