"He had big plans for his life": details emerge about educator killed in Russian attack on Chernihiv
A Russian missile strike on Chernihiv has claimed the life of Ukrainian philologist and teacher Oleksii Halonka. He died as a result of severe injuries caused by missile wreckage.
Source: Serhii Shumylo, Director of the International Institute of the Athonite Legacy in Ukraine
Details: The scientist's niece, Liudmyla Halonka, also confirmed this information for the local media outlet CHEline.
Liudmyla said that on the day of the tragedy, when the sounds of a Russian attack were heard in the city, she called her uncle to warn him to be careful. Upon learning that Oleksii was injured, his relatives immediately rushed to his aid.
The family, following instructions from medics, tried to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived. Despite their efforts, Oleksii Halonka, aged 72, died from his injuries.
"He devoted his entire life to the work he loved. This is a huge loss for the family and education in Chernihiv Oblast and Ukraine. He was a very compassionate and kind person," Liudmyla noted.
Liudmyla also mentioned that in March 2022, Russian troops completely destroyed the educator's house. Since then, Oleksii had been living in a small building nearby.
Shumylo shared Oleksii's recollections of the day when his home was demolished.
Serhii quoted Oleksii as recalling, "We were heavily bombarded that day. I don't know what had struck us. We were hiding in the cellar. It hit us hard. I looked up and saw that the porch was on fire. I got out, stood there and watched the house burn. I realised that there was no way to save it. It was wooden, brick-built. The house of my parents...
I was sorry about the library. Four thousand volumes burned down: books, magazines and newspapers. I had been keeping them all since 1968. Our institute’s library was inferior to it. I also had a collection of 40 embroidered shirts – ancient ones, in a single copy. And paintings. But now it's all just a memory..."
Despite surviving the attack, Oleksii was left with nothing but the clothes he was wearing that day. Later, he had to sleep in a barn on the hay next to the cattle.
"It was a chicken coop. Hay for the cows was also stored there, along with coal, which I hadn't used for a long time. And Liubava the cow, and Kleopatra the heifer. Here's all I have left – a hat and a coat," Oleksii said at the time.
Liudmyla says they tried to convince her uncle to move, but he refused to leave his parent's house.
"This year, he dreamed of building a house for himself. That is, the man had big plans for his life," she emphasised.
Read also: Actor of Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre killed in action – photo
In total, Oleksii authored over 100 scientific works and also edited and prepared dozens of methodological collections for teachers in Chernihiv Oblast.
Anatolii Dnistrovskyi, a Ukrainian soldier, extended his condolences over the death of the Chernihiv educator, whom he had known since the 1990s.
Read also: Famous Ukrainian actor Yakiv Tkachenko killed in action
"I remember him from the early 90s – an aesthete who loved Ukrainian poetry and often quoted his favourite poems from our classics. My father and I frequently visited him. We used to swim together in the Desna River.
His house, which stood near the Chernihiv airfield, had a luxurious art room filled with paintings, a collection of embroidered shirts, and more than 4,000 books," Anatolii said.
Journalist Vasyl Chepurnyi also shared his memories of Oleksii, whom he remembers as "a very calm and friendly person".
"I knew him as a man in love with flowers, which he grew himself, as a good animal owner (he used to keep two cows!), and a lover of performing arts," Chepurnyi wrote.
Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia shared the story of Ihor Zyma and Olesia Sokur, a husband and wife who were both scientists and who were killed in a Russian drone attack on the city of Kyiv on the morning of 1 January.
Support UP or become our patron!
