In memory of artillery officer Yaroslav Falyush.
The son and brother of Ukrainian soldiers, Yaroslav Falyush, lost his life in Donetsk due to a Russian airstrike on January 30, 2025.
7 The news of the officer's death was announced by the head of the public organization "Coordination Center of ATO Veterans Associations," Volodymyr Polyakov. In 2013, Colonel Polyakov served as the head of the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum when Yaroslav graduated from this institution.
“Ten years ago, I could not even imagine in my worst nightmares that we would be meeting with our graduates at funerals. Back then, I firmly believed that we were nurturing and raising the best future officers, the elite of the Ukrainian army. But I could never have entertained the thought that there would be a war and our children would perish in it. And today, those who could, the graduates of the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum class of 2013, along with their mentors, gathered at the funeral of their classmate, warrior of the 79th Air Assault Brigade, Yaroslav Falyush.
8 “May you have a bright road in the heavens, Yaroslav... and we will do everything to ensure that the memory of you never fades,” Volodymyr Yuriyovych wrote on Facebook.
Volodymyr Polyakov keeps his word. In the military history museum he established in Kremenchuk, an exhibition has already been prepared, featuring Yaroslav's personal belongings displayed under his photograph, including a backpack torn by an enemy shell.
9 “He was mature for his age, a reliable young man,” the colonel told Ukrinform. “We communicated with him as if he were an adult. He was, as they say, the golden mean. Not a straight-A student, but he was curious about everything, which is why he studied well. What else? Once, a classmate asked him about a girl, about a wife, and he replied that he had a serious approach to such matters, and if he were to have a wife, it would be forever. He said that while he was still a cadet. Later, he got married and had an eight-year-old daughter…”
0 “Yaroslav was born in Kremenchuk,” his brother Igor recounted. “As a child, he was a cheerful, kind boy. Mom once told me that he was afraid to step on an ant near an anthill. He studied at Kremenchuk Secondary School No. 26 (now a gymnasium). He always had good grades and was respected among his classmates. From childhood, he engaged in various sports: judo, sambo, and ku-do. He achieved the rank of candidate for master of sports in combat sambo. After finishing the 9th grade, he entered the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum. Our father was a career military officer, so he chose his future profession on his own. If I’m not mistaken, he held the position of platoon commander at the lyceum. He participated multiple times in team military competitions, where he and his classmates showed excellent results.
After graduating from the lyceum, Yaroslav enrolled at Luhansk State University of Internal Affairs, where he and his classmates repelled separatist attacks on the university in 2014. After the university fell under enemy control, he fled to the government-held territory of Ukraine, as most commanders had betrayed their oath and urged others to stay in Luhansk. He left through checkpoints, having previously deleted all data from his phone.
1 Yaroslav continued his studies at the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. After that, he got married and had a daughter. He worked as an investigator in the Lubny District Police Department.
- With the onset of the full-scale invasion, my father and I joined the combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, - Igor continues his story. - Yaroslav wanted to fight alongside me from the very first days. I tried to dissuade him, but in August, he independently decided to leave his police service and join the Armed Forces. He joined the artillery as part of the 79th Air Assault Brigade, where he began his journey as a supply platoon soldier. He participated in direct engagements as an infantryman and served as a supply section commander. In October 2024, he completed officer courses and became a senior officer in the position of artillery platoon commander, which he had already been occupying due to a lack of personnel before his training.
2 He was wounded twice but returned to duty. He received awards for bravery and for defending Maryinka.
“He was killed on January 30, 2025, as a result of enemy aviation operations. He died loyal to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” emphasized the hero's brother.
It is important to add information about the Falyush family to understand Yaroslav's motivation and actions. His father, Anatoliy Anatoliyovych, was born in Russia and served in the Soviet army there. However, when the Soviet Union began to collapse, he resigned and moved to Ukraine. With the start of the “hybrid” war in 2014, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Due to health reasons, he was transferred to one of the district military enlistment offices in 2017, but with the onset of the full-scale enemy invasion, he returned to a combat unit. He has been awarded medals for bravery and for defending Debaltseve.
3 Igor also voluntarily took up the defense of the Motherland at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. He met him in Kyiv; after the withdrawal of enemy troops from the north, he was transferred to the Zaporizhzhia direction, and later to Donetsk. In August 2022, he sustained a serious injury, which led to his discharge from the Armed Forces.
“It is an incredible pain to bury your own children... Today, we laid Yaroslav Falyush – a graduate of the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum, a warrior of the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade, a loyal son of Ukraine – to rest. He was meant to live, love, and raise his daughter... But he has forever inscribed his name in the history of the state, in the history of the righteous struggle for our Freedom and Independence... And we promise to cherish this memory, Yarik, and carry it with honor! We bow our heads in sorrow... Eternal glory to the Hero!”
4 This was written by Volodymyr Polyakov's comrade, Olena Mykolaienko, who worked alongside him at the lyceum as the deputy head of educational work and saw Yaroslav off from the walls of the institution to the big life.
The Hero was buried by the graduates and mentors of the Kremenchuk Military Lyceum, who were able to gather together at the cemetery.
…Yaroslav is survived by his wife, daughter Oleksandra, parents, and brother Igor.
Honor and respect to the Defender!
Photos by Volodymyr Polyakov and Igor Falyush