Ukraine Marks One Year Since Its Hero Dmytro Da Vinci Kotsiubailo’s Death

KYIV, UKRAINE, March 7 – Today, Ukrainians honor the fallen Hero of Ukraine, fighter for independence and soldier – Dmytro Kotsiubailo (Da Vinci).

On March 7, 2023, Dmytro Kotsiubailo died as a result of a shrapnel wound to the neck during a combat mission near Bakhmut. Four days later, thousands of people gathered on Kyiv’s Independence Square to pay their last respects to the lieutenant known by his call sign Da Vinci.

His comrades-in-arms and senior military officers said goodbye in front of the soldier’s coffin: Kyrylo Budanov, Oleksii Reznikov and Valerii Zaluzhnyi. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took part in the memorial service held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery to honor the memory of the deceased.

“Da Vinci, a hero of Ukraine, a volunteer, a man-symbol, a man of courage, Dmytro Kotsiubailo, was killed in action,” the president said in a statement.

Born in Zadnistriansk, Halych district, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, he was actively involved in the Revolution of Dignity from the very beginning. After it ended, at the age of 18, he went to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression, holding a weapon in his hands.

• He was a platoon commander in 2014, and a year later, he became a company commander.
• By 2015, at Pisky village, Donetsk Oblast, he was seriously injured by a tank shell. After extensive treatment and three months of rehabilitation, he returned to the front.
• On 17 March 2016, Kotsiubailo was appointed commander of the 1st separate assault company, “Da Vinci Wolves” of the Volunteer Ukrainian Border Guard Corps, which was later reformatted into a battalion.
• On 1 December 2021, Dmytro Kotsiubailo was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Golden Star by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He became the youngest commander and the first volunteer to receive this title during his lifetime. The presidential decree stated that the high rank was awarded for personal courage in the defence of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Starting from the beginning of the full-scale war, he led a separate mechanized battalion “Da Vinci’s Wolves”, which was included in the 67th separate mechanized brigade. Dmytro died at the age of 27.

In memory of the Hero

In addition to the museum that was created in Dmytro’s hometown school, memorials and streets named after the Hero, there are a number of other initiatives in different cities to memorialize his name. For example, in April 2023, a fountain was unveiled in Lviv’s Halytska Square, which became a symbol of honoring Dmytro Kotsiubaylo and all the volunteers who participated in the war with Russia.

It is also known that a documentary film titled Da Eterni is being made about Dmytro Kotsiubailo. The former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, even joined in its creation. The authors planned to release the film on the anniversary of the Hero’s death, but the premiere was postponed. The creators note that they have received unique materials they are currently processing. Today it is known that the presentation of the film is scheduled for April 2024.

“The Iron General shared his memories of meeting and friendship with Dmytro Kotsiubailo! They were constantly in touch and very close, and when Dmytro was awarded the Star of the Hero of Ukraine, he asked Valeriy Zaluzhny to wear this award to him,” the film’s Facebook page reads.

Gwara Media journalist attended the funeral procession in Kyiv a year ago. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians came to say goodbye to the hero of Ukraine.