Maidan hero Vitaliy Derekh was killed in battle with Russians. PHOTO

Fighter, journalist, sapper, and Maidan hero Vitaliy Derekh was killed in battles with the Russian occupiers in the Popasna district.

This was announced on Facebook by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Censor.NET reports.

Vitaliy Derekh was 34 years old. As a 16-year-old boy, he became a participant in the Orange Revolution, then the Revolution of Dignity. In the spring of 2014, he was one of the first to volunteer for Aidar, commanding the first division of the first company of the battalion. He was awarded the State Order for Courage of the Third Degree, and the Plast Bronze Cross for heroic deeds (saving lives).

From 2016 to 2018 he worked in the Municipal Guard of Ivano-Frankivsk, in particular as a rescuer.

In February 2022, Vitaly was again at the forefront. He defended Kyiv, managed the calculation of anti-tank weapons, and eliminated more than one unit of enemy equipment and personnel.

Vitaly Derekh died in a battle with the Russian occupiers in the Bakhmut district of the Donetsk region.