“They died within a short period of time, liberating our land from a treacherous enemy. The selfless sacrifice made by these heroes will be deeply honored by current and future generations of KPI students,” emphasized Anatoliy Melnychenko, Rector of Igor Sikorsky KPI, during a ceremony honoring the memory of our university's graduates: Junior Sergeant Mykola Guk, commander of a combat unit, and soldier Anatoliy Melnychenko, during a ceremony honoring the memory of our university's graduates: Junior Sergeant Mykola Guk, commander of a combat unit, and soldier Anatoliy Melnychenko, during a ceremony honoring the memory of our university's graduates: Junior Sergeant Mykola Guk, commander of a combat unit, and soldier Anatoliy Melnychenko, during a ceremony honoring the memory of our university's graduates: Junior Sergeant Mykola Guk, commander of a Igor Sikorsky, Anatoliy Melnychenko, during a ceremony honoring the memory of our university's graduates: Junior Sergeant Mykola Huk, commander of a combat unit, and soldier Oleksandr Romanchenko, line communications supervisor of a communications company.
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The solemn ceremony of unveiling memorial plaques in honor of the deceased, which took place on April 24 in the lobby of academic building No. 18, was attended by KPI Vice Rector Serhiy Stirenko, Assistant to the Rector for Veterans' Policy Andriy Gavrushkevych, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science Yaroslav Kornaga, Head of the Department of Information and Measurement Technologies Volodymyr Yeremenko, relatives, friends of the fallen heroes, and teachers from several faculties and institutes. The sad event was also attended by Eloise Marmousse-de-la-Taille, Attaché for University and Scientific Cooperation at the French Embassy in Ukraine, who assured the Ukrainian people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine of France's unwavering support.
Many kind and sad words were spoken during the hour of remembrance dedicated to Mykola and Oleksandr.
It was recalled that Mykola Huk studied at the Department of Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Information Technology and Electronics. A 2020 bachelor's degree graduate of the educational and professional program “Software for High-Performance Computer Systems and Networks,” he wanted to continue his studies in a master's program. But the full-scale invasion by the Russian occupiers changed his life plans. As his comrades-in-arms from the Azov Special Forces Brigade recalled, Mykola consciously decided to join the ranks of the Ukrainian army. He fought in the Luhansk region for almost two years. During the last two months before his heroic death, he fought against the enemy on one of the most difficult fronts, the Toretsk direction. Bravery was a defining trait of Junior Sergeant M. Huk. He was convinced that the mission entrusted to him by his commanders was worth more than his life. For his bravery during the battles near the village of New York, Mykola received an award weapon from the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Fate decreed that on March 14, 2024, during a fierce battle with the enemy, Junior Sergeant Mykola Huk went missing... A week later, his family identified his body in the morgue.
A terrible tragedy occurred on September 3, 2024, in Poltava, when Russians launched a missile strike on a local university and hospital, killing Oleksandr Romanchenko, a graduate of the Department of Information and Measurement Technology at FAKS. He graduated from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in metrology. According to those who knew Oleksandr, he was a creative and talented person who loved to dance and paint in his spare time. That is why he chose a job related to creativity, working as a designer at a private company in Kyiv. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, he voluntarily went to the Obolon Territorial Recruitment Center in Kyiv, expressing his desire to defend his homeland. Before putting on a military uniform, Oleksandr was actively involved in volunteer work, for which he received numerous letters of thanks and certificates from the military.
He went through the crucible of war, liberating the Kherson and Kharkiv regions. To improve his military skills, he was sent to a military training center. On September 3, 2024, while undergoing retraining at the Poltava Military Institute of Communications, Oleksandr Romanchenko was killed by enemy rocket fire... He was his mother's only son.
In deep sorrow, those present bowed their heads in a minute of silence to honor the memory of Mykola Huk and Oleksandr Romanchenko.
“The death of our brothers in arms cannot be in vain,” emphasized Andriy Gavrushkevych, former commander of the special reconnaissance group of the 120th separate reconnaissance battalion, commander of the mechanized platoon of the 47th separate brigade “Magura,” and assistant to the rector for veteran policy, in his address to those present. “For us, they will forever remain heroes. We will remember the feats and sacrifices of Mykola Huk, Oleksandr Romanchenko, and all those KPI graduates who gave their lives in the fight against a treacherous enemy.”
We believe that these memorial plaques will remind current and future generations of polytechnic students of the heroism of our defenders in the struggle for the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukrainian state. Each of the fallen defenders of the Fatherland will remain in our memory as a symbol of self-sacrifice and indomitability.