Not every family is blessed with three sons, but ours was! My name is Andrii. I was the middle one. I was... Because a Russian missile took my life in the middle of the night on 13 June 2023. 

I grew up as a calm kid. Children loved to be naughty, jump and run. I remained serious in all kinds of situations. My favorite things were football, Greco-Roman wrestling, and fishing. At home, I could cook my own meals. I liked to surprise my parents by making a cake, cheese balls or other dishes. I took recipes from the Internet. 

I loved learning. I willingly took on the duties of a holiday host. I could easily memorize long texts and present them well. I adored my family, and especially my little brother Ilyusha, who was born before the war broke out.

When I grew up, I started working a little bit. I wanted to help my family with money. I could add some money for groceries or rent. At first I didn't tell my parents that in the summer of 2023 I got a job at a bottled water warehouse. I was happy because I wanted to earn money. And the water I loaded at night with my friends was delivered to all parts of Ukraine, including the Kherson region, for those affected by the Russians' explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. 

I worked for two weeks, and then my life was taken away...While the rubble of the building was being cleared after the shelling, my mother believed that I would knock on the door, a little wounded, but I would return. But then my body was taken out from under the ruins.

A few days later, the enemy shelled the village where my family lives. The rocket fell several hundred meters from my home. No one died. Mom believes that it was me and my friends who protected them...