The Sarny community will honor the memory of its Defender – Yaroslav Novak.
This is reported by Rivne24
Tomorrow, March 16, a farewell will be held in Sarny for Senior Sergeant, fighter of the 60th Battalion of the 104th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade “Polissia Wolves” – Yaroslav Hryhorovych Novak.
Yaroslav Novak was born in Sarny and studied at Sarny School No. 2. After completing nine grades, he entered the Ivano-Frankivsk College of Physical Culture, where he actively engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling. He then obtained a higher education at Kamianets-Podilskyi University, specializing in “defectology, speech therapy teacher, oligophrenopedagogue.”
For many years, Yaroslav dedicated himself to working with children. He worked at Special School No. 1 in the village of Chudely, nurtured youth, organized sports and educational-military events, and also created a branch of the children’s Cossack society “Sokolyata.”
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Yaroslav joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving in the 60th Battalion of the 104th Territorial Defense Brigade. His comrades knew him by the call sign “Lector.”
He went through heavy battles, sustained injuries near Tabayivka in the Kharkiv region, and suffered a concussion near Druzhkivka in Donetsk region. On March 7, 2026, Yaroslav was killed in the Sumy region while saving his comrades, fulfilling the duties of the commander of the 2nd section of counter-diversionary warfare.
For his service, Yaroslav was awarded numerous honors, including the “For Service” badge of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign and the medal “For Blood Sacrifice in the Battles for the Freedom of Ukraine.”
The Defender is survived by his wife Olena, daughters Sofia and Anna, mother Sofia Omelyanivna, and brother Petro.
The farewell and burial will take place tomorrow, March 16, with the cortege carrying the Defender’s body departing at 11:00 through the city along the route:
Kostopilska – Yevropeiska – Stepan Bandera.
- 11:15 – farewell at home (Stepan Bandera St., 5)
- 12:00 – funeral service at the church on Chornovola St.
- 13:10 – citywide farewell at the central square of Sarny
- 13:50 – burial at the Alley of Heroes (cemetery on Sharpaka St.)