Vitalii Skakun
Ukrainian military figure (1996-2022)
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Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun (Ukrainian: Віталій Володимирович Скакун; 19 August 1996 – 24 February 2022) was a Ukrainian marine combat engineer who was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star. He sacrificed his life in the Russian invasion of Ukraine while blowing up a bridge in Henichesk while he was still on it to slow the advance of Russian troops during the Southern Ukraine campaign.
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19 August 1996
Vitalii Skakun | |
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| Born | Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun 19 August 1996 Berezhany, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine |
| Died | 24 February 2022 (aged 25) Henichesk, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine |
| Allegiance | Ukraine |
Branch | Ukrainian Navy |
Service years | 2021–2022 |
Rank | Seaman |
| Unit | 35th Naval Infantry Brigade "Rear Admiral Mikhail Ostrogradsky", Ukrainian Naval Infantry |
Conflicts | |
| Awards | Order of the Gold Star (posthumously) |
| Education | National University Lviv Polytechnic |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Skakun was born on 19 August 1996 in Berezhany in western Ukraine.[1][2] He attended the No. 3 school in Berezhany, where his mother was a member of the teaching staff.[2] Later in Lviv, Skakun graduated from Higher Vocational School No. 20, where he studied to be a welder.[2] He graduated from Lviv Polytechnic.[1] In 2018, he lived for six months in Leszno, where he worked as a construction worker.[3]
Military career
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Skakun's battalion was deployed to protect the town of Henichesk, located near a crossing from Crimea to the mainland of Ukraine.[4] As a Russian armored column approached the position, Ukrainian forces decided to destroy the bridge, to impede the advance of Russian troops travelling northward from Crimea during the Southern Ukraine campaign. Skakun, a combat engineer, volunteered to place mines on the bridge.[5] On 24 February 2022, after placing the explosives, Skakun did not have enough time to withdraw from the bridge and, after communicating his intentions to his fellow soldiers,[6] detonated the mines, killing himself and destroying the bridge. His actions slowed the Russian advance, allowing his battalion time to regroup.[7]
Legacy
On 26 February 2022, Skakun was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star, the military version of the title of Hero of Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[1][6]
On 28 February 2022, the Czech representative of one of Prague's city districts, Libor Bezděk, proposed to rename a bridge in Korunovační Street, which is the address of the Russian embassy, to Vitalij Skakun bridge. The proposal was accepted by the district and was forwarded to Prague City Council.[8]
On 1 March 2022, the city council of Berezhany awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Berezhany" to Skakun.[9]
On 7 March 2022, he was granted honorary citizenship of Leszno.[10][11]
On April 24, 2024, in the village of Antonivka, 1 May Street was renamed to Vitaly Skakun Street.[12]
