Vitaliy’s childhood was filled with hard work in the village of Zherdeli. As the oldest child in the family, many responsibilities fell on his shoulders, which shaped character traits such as diligence and responsibility. He grew up amid the daily life of the village, helping his parents, and after finishing school, he went straight to work. He eventually started his own family; together with his wife Maria, they bought a house, and their greatest joy was their two daughters: Svitlana and Darinka. He dreamed of attending his eldest daughter’s graduation, but fate had other plans… The year 2024 changed everything… Vitalii Kyryliuk went to defend Ukraine. His daughter Svitlana says that after completing three months of training, her father was sent on a military rotation where every day was a fine line between life and death. One day on the front lines, the enemy deployed a drone carrying a warhead; the explosion stunned everyone, and his comrade was buried under the rubble. Vitaliy was wounded in the arm, but when he saw his comrade Oleksandr trapped under the rubble, he helped him escape. However, the enemy’s attack continued… and a second drone struck their positions with great force. The defenders of Ukraine regained consciousness only after they were already in the vehicle, being evacuated from the scene of the attack. Vitalii asked to call his comrade Oleksandr’s family: “Tell them I’m okay!” The defenders were taken to the hospital, but even there the danger did not end: a suicide drone struck the building just as Vitalii was undergoing surgery to amputate his right arm and was fitted with two Ilizarov frames on both legs. After the hospital building was struck, the soldier was transferred to another hospital, where he underwent four more surgeries. However… due to severe strain on his heart, Vitaliy passed away on September 22, 2024, at 11:43 a.m. The funeral took place in his native village of Zherdeli in the Berdychiv District of Zhytomyr Oblast. I remember what a tragic day it was for his family and all his fellow villagers. Vitalii Kyryliuk is remembered as a kind, smiling, sincere, and courageous man—a person with a big, compassionate heart and a passion for work. … There are stories about people who prove that true dignity is measured not by years, but by the actions of a single day. Vitalii is one of those whose life deserves gratitude for saving his comrade, even though he himself had to endure suffering and leave behind a dignified legacy.
