— “My guys are there!” Perhaps these words best explain why Pavlo Denysiuk went back to war in February 2022. He had every right not to return. In 2019, he was discharged from military service due to health reasons. He had a second-degree disability. He had years of service and combat experience behind him: Donetsk Airport, Opytne, Vodyane—and all the things people can only imagine. But on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. By 8:00 a.m., Pavlo was already at the military registration and enlistment office. They tried to dissuade him. They said he had already done enough and that now he needed to take care of himself. But he knew where he was needed. To understand this act, we must go back to the beginning of his story. Pavlo Denysiuk, call sign “Pasha,” was born on September 22, 1978, in the village of Barashivka in the Zhytomyr region. He had two brothers. The older one, Grisha, was also in the military. He participated in peacekeeping missions and served in Africa, specifically in Sierra Leone. The brothers were raised to be honest people. They knew how to distinguish right from wrong, stood up for the weak, and would not tolerate injustice. This wasn’t just a rule—it was part of their character. The older brother passed away far too soon, but Pavlo continued to live by the principles that had united them both. 2014. Ahead lay Donetsk Airport—a place where courage was measured not by words, but by deeds. Fierce battles for Ukraine were raging there. During the defense of the airport, “Pasha” saved a comrade’s life. When his comrade was wounded, Pavlo quickly applied a tourniquet, even though he himself was under enemy fire. He risked his own life so that the other man could live. In 2016, Pavlo was awarded for his defense of Donetsk Airport. But he didn’t like to flaunt his awards and didn’t talk about the war in his everyday life. His courage didn’t need grand words.
2022. The war had returned with renewed intensity, and “Pasha” found himself back among the troops. He didn’t say where he was going. He said he was heading to a training ground. In reality, he was heading to the Kyiv region, to Makariv, where fierce battles were raging. On March 11, 2022, Pavlo Denysiuk was killed in the Makariv area. At the time, he was a sergeant and the commander of a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. According to his family, his death was linked to the events of those days when a “green corridor” was being organized to evacuate civilians. His story cannot be reduced to a mere list of dates, awards, and military ranks. It lies in the tourniquet he managed to apply to a fellow soldier. In his decision to return to the front lines. In the silence with which he set out for the Kyiv region. In his older brother, who also chose military service and left this life far too soon. And in the note that his wife, Ira, found next to his work laptop after his death. Just two words: “Love Ukraine!”
