Performed extremely complex tasks as part of the Third Assault Brigade. Let's remember Mykola Shykeruk.

Every day at 9 am, Ukrainians honor the memory of all those whose lives were taken by the Russian-Ukrainian war. Today we remember Mykola Shykeruk.

On November 14, he returned home to his native Plesna in the Shepetivka community from the war, a grenade launcher of the third mechanized platoon of the fourth mechanized company of the second mechanized battalion, senior soldier Mykola Viktorovych Shykeruk - a fearless warrior who fought in extremely difficult conditions and paid a terrible price for our freedom - he gave his life for the survival of Ukraine. This was reported by the Shepetivka City Council.

Mykola Shykeruk was born on October 21, 1998, in the village of Plesna, in a hardworking rural family of Viktor Mykolayovych and Tamara Leonidivna. He was the second child in the family and had an older sister, Alina. From childhood, Mykola loved technology and spent almost all his Time with his father at work, in a car on the collective farm fields, among tractors and combines.

In 2005, the boy entered the first grade of Plesna Secondary School I-III degree. Since school years, he became interested in sports: football, volleyball, basketball, and running.

'He was a soaring, incorrigible optimist and a life lover. Perhaps, those like him inspired Vsevolod Nestayko to write his Toreadors. It seemed that fate was favorable to him in everything,' shared memories the principal of Plesna Gymnasium, Tetiana Kapeliukh.

After finishing school in 2016, he enrolled in Netishyn Vocational School to study 'Electric and Gas Welding'.

After completing his training in 2018, he was drafted for military service. Due to his physical preparation, he was admitted to the National Guard of Ukraine.

After serving a year and a half in the military, he returned home and almost immediately went to Kyiv to work in landscaping.

He did not forget about sports, adding strength exercises to his favorite disciplines. Mykola always helped his parents with household chores when he returned to Plesna, and in his free time, he enjoyed spending time with his relatives and friends, being the life of the party, a happy person. No one ever saw him upset; he knew how to lift everyone's spirits. He had many plans for the future.

War and Death

The full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine changed his life from the familiar and peaceful to a worrying one, full of danger. The war caught Mykola in his native village, and he immediately, without hesitation, joined a volunteer formation to defend our country. In July 2022, he was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was again directed to the National Guard, but in June 2023, he was transferred to the Third Separate Assault Brigade, where he performed combat tasks of extraordinary complexity.

'Every time he came back from the battlefield, he did not forget about his comrades. He saved many lives. But even in these deadly conditions, he maintained his smile and always found the positive in any difficult situation,' his comrades recall.

The last time his family heard Mykola's voice was on March 26, 2024. He called to say he was going to work and would call back later, as he was supposed to congratulate his sister on her birthday on March 27. But instead of congratulations, the family received the terrible news that while performing a combat task, Mykola went missing.

From that fateful day began the difficult count of days without their dearest...

The worst thing is always replaying the last phone conversation in my head like an old film and thinking about the words that were not said, about gratitude, about friendship, about support. The glimmer of hope for the relatives flickered for long 7 months; they hoped until the last moment to meet and hug their cherished one again... They ran out of time to be together.

'Mykola was almost never at home: studying, army, work, and war,' recalls his father.

But one phone call shattered all hopes, dreams, and expectations. The family received the worst news that their son, brother - senior soldier Mykola Viktorovych Shykeruk was killed on March 27, 2024, in battle near Semenivka in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region, courageously fulfilling his duty.

His most cherished dream of a large, happy family and a bright future never came true. The terrible war decided otherwise; Mykola could not exchange wedding rings with his beloved Sofiya, who dreamed of becoming his wife. The wedding loaf, seasoned with bitter tears, was broken after the defender's funeral.

In eternal sorrow without their warrior were left parents, sister, nephews, grandmother, and the whole large family.

The farewell to Mykola Shykeruk took place on November 14, the hero's body was laid to rest in the cemetery of his native village, Plesna.

November 14, 2024, was declared a Day of Mourning in the territory of the Shepetivka city territorial community.