A farewell ceremony took place in Rivne Oblast for three defenders – Volodymyr Shapirko from Sarny District, Serhiy Zhytynitsky from Smyzka community, and Svyatoslav Lazarchuk from Rivne Territorial Community.
This is reported by Rivne24
Volodymyr Shapirko was born and raised in the city of Sarny. On February 24, 2022, he joined the ranks of volunteers. From March 2024, he carried out combat missions as part of the 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade in the Kupiansk direction. From September 2025, Volodymyr continued his service in the 68th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade named after Oleksa Dovbush, defending Ukraine in the Pokrovsk and later in the Sumy directions. He held the positions of squad commander and combat vehicle commander in the reconnaissance unit. For his bravery and dedicated service, the defender received the awards “For Diligent Service” and the “Cross of the Warrior-Mountain Infantry” of the 1st class. Volodymyr was killed on May 17, 2026, in Sumy Oblast while performing a combat mission.
Serhiy Zhytynitsky, born on March 29, 1974, lived in the village of Shepetyn in the Smyzka community. He defended Ukraine from the occupiers until his last breath. For a long time, he was considered missing in action, but later information about his death was confirmed. Serhiy was killed on October 18, 2024, while performing a combat mission in Donetsk Oblast.
Svyatoslav Lazarchuk, born on October 24, 1996, in Rivne, joined the service in the ATO in 2018. After being wounded, he was demobilized, but on February 24, 2022, during the full-scale invasion, he returned to defend his country. Until 2025, Svyatoslav carried out combat missions in the Kupiansk direction, but soon he was declared missing in action. A DNA test confirmed his death. The defender was killed on January 14, 2026, while performing a combat mission in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.