Rayana, UAV operator with Sheikh Mansur Volunteer Battalion, was killed whilst defending Ukraine. PHOTO
A drone operator from the Chechen Volunteer Battalion named after Sheikh Mansur Rayan was killed on the front line whilst defending Ukraine against the Russian occupiers.
The tragic news was reported by the Ukrainian Sports Committee and the non-governmental organisation‘League of Muslim Women of Ukraine’, according to Censor.NET.
What is known about the fallen soldier?
Before the war, Rayana devoted herself to sport. She practised Thai boxing and later became a coach, teaching martial arts to children and adults.
In 2024, Rayana decided to join the army. She completed drone pilot training and became a UAV operator in the Sheikh Mansur Battalion. Rayana explained her decision to fight as a desire to protect her son’s future and to do everything possible to ensure Ukraine’s victory.
"I know the enemy is here, and I can do something about it. I want my child to be spared the experience of war and to grow up in a free Ukraine. I came here with the intention of fighting and defending my country," the defender said.
She was the only woman in the unit, carrying out combat missions in the Donetsk sector, tracking down and helping to destroy Russian armoured vehicles. In addition, Rayan headed the unit’s supply section, ensuring her comrades were well provided for.
Rayana was a Muslim; she attended a mosque in Kyiv and, right up until the end, looked after the mosque in Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.
Rayana will be buried in Odesa, where her family lives.
