aiEach person who died in the war has their unique history: of pre-war life, joining the Armed Forces, and military service. Our hero, in addition to his personal story, has traits of the best sons of Ukraine and, what is more, the best of the 20-year-old generation.

aiFor decades, since the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has relied on existing international agreements: in particular, the safeguards promised in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum by the guarantors (Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom) for the renunciation of nuclear weapons. Over these 30 years, more than a generation grew up with a sense of unbreakable security.

aiThis is why the war of aggression against Ukraine that Russia started in 2014 made a tremendous impression on most of Ukrainians. They were not internally prepared to take part in hostilities, not ready to kill people (the occupiers who had previously been considered brothers, were not yet perceived as non-humans). In order to defend their sovereignty, however, Ukrainians needed to transform their hearts and minds - this took place over the years as the occupiers' atrocities continued. And the shift was sealed after the outbreak of the full-scale war in February 2022.

aiThis time in history has created incredible people who seemed ordinary in everyday peaceful life. Volodymyr Ivashchenko, a student of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National  University, embodies the traits of a hero of our time. When the hour of trial came, the 20-year-old could not stand aside. He went to fight first as a volunteer and soon formally joined the military .

aiVolodymyr was born in Kharkiv on December 7, 2001. While in high school, he spent two years in the Cadet Corps. It was a tough selection process, but Volodymyr passed and withstood all the difficulties. At graduation he was awarded a medal of excellence.

aiVolodymyr took his mother and his younger brother and sister away from the war zone, quit his job, and returned to Kharkiv with a friend. They decided to volunteer and completed a week-long training at a center for people without combat experience. Right away Volodymyr was assigned to the "Kraken" special forces unit.

aiThe young man served there in an assault group, in intelligence, and took part in battles to liberate Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions. They were part of the now legendary Kharkiv operation in September 2022 that military analysts call "brilliant" and "unique." Within a week, the entire occupied part of Kharkiv region was liberated, except for a strip beyond the Oskil River.

aiOn November 5, 2022, the 20-year-old warrior lost his life in Donbas. After a battle in the village of Novoselivske, Volodymyr and his comrades were evacuating the wounded to the village of Berestove where doctors provided medical care. It was at this place that they were shelled and killed by the occupiers.

aiBy Presidential Decree No. 88/2023 of February 22, 2023, senior soldier Volodymyr Ivashchenko was awarded the Order of Courage, III class (posthumously).