In memory of fallen aerial reconnaissance man of 59th SMIB Pavlo Petrychenko

Pavlo Petrychenko, a sergeant with the 59th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and an activist, was killed in the fighting against the Russian invaders in Donetsk region. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he was involved in the development of the Serhii Prytula Volunteer Center, and in April 2022 he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Before the war, Pavlo was a project manager and participant in public initiatives. In particular, he was one of the founders of the movement "Who ordered Katia Handziuk's murder".

At the end of March 2024, he raised an important issue in society and registered a petition to restrict online casinos for military personnel during martial law, which received more than 26 thousand votes. After that, President Zelenskyy announced that he was preparing steps to control the operation of online casinos in Ukraine.

Petrychenko was the commander of a UAV unit in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. He was awarded the Iron Cross by Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The Serhii Prytula Foundation said that after the Russian occupiers were knocked out of the north at the end of April 2022, Pavlo Petrychenko mobilized. He said: "I gave everything I had to the foundation, now I owe the state, so I have to go."

The death of the soldier was reported by his sister Maryna on the evening of April 15. On April 16, Pavlo would have turned 32 years old.

"Today, my brother, Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko of the 59th Brigade, was killed in Donetsk region while performing a combat mission. Please leave our family be for a while," she said.

Volunteer Serhii Prytula wrote on Facebook: "Pashka... Pasho... Pavlusha...(familiar first names Pashka, Pasho, Pavlushka for Pavlo - ed. note) God, how much longer?!!! How much longer will you take the "salt of the earth"? !!!!!!! Are you sad there, Lord? Or what? !!!!!!!!!! Damned beasts! You will pay for Pashka's death by the thousands!!!!

Pasho, you were a Warrior with a big "W"! We all kneel before you! I don't know how to handle all this, Pasho... I love you, Brother! Thank you for everything you have taught me all these years! I promise that everything will be fulfilled! Russians, you will be disappearing from this world as long as I will be alive. Until the end of my days! Pasho, I love you!!!! I don't believe it...".

Lawyer and soldier Masi Naiiem said: "I always underestimated your smile because we used to laugh that we were 'foster brothers' because maybe we had too many women in common. I appreciated that we were friends. Because you are strong, intelligent, and valuable. Romchyk wrote that it would be worse. Now we can say that it will never be better. It was better before you were alive."

The father of the murdered Kherson activist Kateryna Handziuk, Viktor Handziuk, said that war takes the best people: "Rest in peace. It hurts".

Volunteer and activist Serhii Sternenko congratulated Petrychenko on his birthday: "You should have been 32 today. But you will always be 31. Yesterday you still managed to kill several Russians. We will do our best to make sure they die incessantly. Send greetings to all our people who were taken by this damn war. See you around." 

Soldier Oleh Symoroz said he had spoken to Pavlo the day before: "Yesterday we were writing to each other, and today the war took you away. I know you're in Valhalla because you were genuine, and it was a pleasure to talk to you. Send greetings to our people there and have a rare old time! My sincere condolences to the family! Eternal glory to the hero!" 

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, wrote: "Thank you, Pasha Petrychenko, for the Genuineness. We have to finish what you started. Heroes live forever, in our memory of them."

Mariia Pysarenko, media manager of the Prytula Foundation, noted that books could be written about Pavlo.

"Always witty jokes and digs. Whether in conversation or on social media. Conciseness and wittiness are about him. He is a friend of all animals, dogs and cats, it goes without saying Tortik.

"Pavlusha, have you killed a Russian today?" He always said to whining: "Stop the decay of the team"

His voice messages are a podcast you never knew about. He always told a million stories about his fellow soldiers with such love. I kept thinking I should record him. Big blue eyes and a big kind soul, really. His brilliant secret chat, which was raising Army donations on an industrial scale. He always supported me and asked me in a mentor-like manner, "what's up?" The person thanks to whom I work in the best team and who taught me a lot. He is forever alive It can't be otherwise. This line between the dates is some kind of immense absurdity."