Yuriy studied at the Faculty of Sociology and Law of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute extramurally. He took an active part in the Revolution of Dignity.
At the beginning of the war in the east of Ukraine, he went with his friends to Slovyansk. On April 17, 2014, Yuriy was captured by terrorists. From then, contact with the young man was lost.
On April 19, Yuriy's body was found in the Kazennyi Torets river near Raihorodok, Donetsk oblast, with signs of violent death, together with the body of representative of the Horlivka city council Volodymyr Rybak.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, "the cause of death of both victims is a combined injury to the body as a result of torture, followed by drowning of the unconscious victims while still alive."
According to witnesses, including one who was captured with Yuriy and survived the torture, Yuriy was killed for refusing to speak russian and refusing to lie about going to the temple of the moscow patriarchate.
On February 20, 2015, Yuriy Popravka was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Golden Star Order posthumously.