How the fallen Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubailo, known as Da Vinci, is remembered

On March 7, 2023, President Zelensky announced the death of Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubailo, known as Da Vinci, at the front. He defended Ukraine as part of the 67th separate mechanized brigade and commanded the Da Vinci Wolves special forces unit. The warrior was 27 years old. Read how Dmytro is remembered.

"It happened in front of our eyes. The shelling. You told us to stay in the shelter. Explosions, many explosions. A minute later, screams: Medic! Medic! Da Vinci! We believed to the last. We prayed to the last."

This is what military photographer Kostyantyn Liberov, who spent the last few days at the front with Dmytro Kotsiubaylo, wrote about the circumstances of his death.

"The day before yesterday, you drove a tank into an enemy landing in front of me, and then led people to storm the area. And they left without hesitation because they trusted their commander. The next day, with your bare hands and one bottle of water, you extinguished a tank that caught fire with a full combat kit, at a time when everyone was afraid to even approach it. You are a hero of Ukraine. The best of the best. A warrior. A friend. A legend," the post reads.

The best commander, comrade, leader

The memories of the soldier were shared on the Da Vinci Wolves special forces channel on Telegram.

"We were called the Da Vinci Wolves because we always followed him into battle. He was our best commander, comrade-in-arms, leader and exemplary nationalist. Our combat family has suffered an irreparable loss. Today, the whole of Ukraine has lost a legendary commander. From now on, his fight must be continued by all of us. In the name of our fallen heroes, we will win this war by driving the Russian occupiers from our land."

Chaplain Mykola Medynsky wrote about the fallen soldier as follows:

"Da Vinci, my friend, comrade-in-arms and hero of Ukraine, a volunteer, a man-symbol, a man of courage, Dmytro Kotsyubaylo, was killed in battle. He was a soldier of the 67th separate mechanized brigade, a commander. May Da Vinci rest in peace."

He is from a generation that has seen almost nothing but war

The bravest, the most professional, a true leader and a leader, an honest and pure man without a second bottom - these are the words of Vitaliy Deinega, founder of the Come Back Alive charity foundation, when he recalls Da Vinci.

"The most tragic thing about Dmytro Kotsiubaylo's death is that he was from a generation that saw virtually nothing but war. The period of life in which you fall in love, make mistakes, find your first job, buy your first car, start traveling, "look for yourself" and do many nice things that you are ashamed to remember later, was absent in his life. He was lucky to love and be loved. But his life consisted of battles, trenches, and death, and he saw much less joy than his peers."

"To go to war as a volunteer at 18. Spend a third of your life at the front. To become a fierce warrior, an artillery jeweler, a real commander! To become an example to follow! Become a terror for the enemies. To become a People's Hero and a Hero of Ukraine. To die in battle and live forever in our memory, in the names of streets, in the names of children who will be named in your honor, my friend! Dmytro Kotsiubailo. Da Vinci's friend. Always in the line of duty!" volunteer Serhiy Prytula wrote on his Facebook page.

During his lifetime, he managed to become a part of our history

Writer Serhiy Zhadan shared his memories of Dmytro Kotsiubaylo on Facebook.

"I remember the first winter of the war, somewhere before Christmas (or after Christmas?), we arrived in Pisky. We were immediately taken to Da Vinci's position. He was already a legend even then. Da Vinci himself was not there. When we asked where he was, the soldiers respectfully and a little ironically said that he had gone to take a universities session. This is the kind of respectfulness that we have seen and heard dozens of times since then," the post reads.

Serhiy Zhadan writes that he personally met Dmytro Kotsiubaylo in Avdiivka.

"He was quite reserved with us - musicians, writers, volunteers. He never got on a first-name basis. It was very strange. With the soldiers, as far as one could see, he was confident and convincing. He really became frank and open when he talked about his work, showed videos, showed maps. It was clear that the frontline was his element, that he knew what he was doing, that he had a huge potential," Zhadan writes.

"He managed to become a part of our history during his lifetime. No exaggeration. During his lifetime, Da Vinci was in the same place as Kryvonis, Honta, Bolbochan, Chuchupaka, and Shukhevych. He is an epic historical figure, deep, expressive, and holistic. We were fortunate to know him, to have the opportunity to observe his image, his work, his struggle. Our children and grandchildren will wear T-shirts with his face on them. Simply because it was the face of an honest and conscientious man who lived his life briefly, consistently and brightly, leaving behind a memory, leaving behind a sense of dignity," wrote Serhiy Zhadan.

Journalist Yury Butusov wrote about Da Vinci's death on his Facebook page and shared his memories of him.

"It was you who taught me to say 'Glory to Ukraine'. It was with you that I switched to Ukrainian, that you taught me so many things. In nine years, you have made an incredible journey from a revolutionary with a Molotov cocktail on the Maidan to a commander of a mechanized battalion who controls the fire of batteries and tanks, and leads hundreds of men who are strong in their will, thanks to your 27-year-old commander. I often doubt myself, but I have never doubted you," Yury Butusov writes.

The founder of the UAnimals movement, Oleksandr Todorchuk, shared the story of the first assault company of the Right Sector and their commander, Dmytro Kotsiubailo, which happened in the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"On the first day of the full-scale invasion, I received a message from the Ukrainian military in the East: "There is a wolf in our unit. We are preparing for heavy fighting and we are afraid that we will not be able to take care of it." It was the first hours after the war started, and no driver was willing to go in that direction, so together with the military we carried out a real rescue operation. I could not comprehend how, preparing for the most difficult day, people first of all thought about saving someone who would not defend himself. Da Vinci dead. And with him, the world lost an extraordinary man," writes Oleksandr Todorchuk.

What is known about Dmytro Kotsiubailo

Dmytro Kotsiubailo was born on November 1, 1995, in the village of Zadnistrianske, Burshtyn community, Ivano-Frankivsk region. He went to war immediately after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. He commanded the 1st separate assault company of the Right Sector. He was seriously wounded by a tank shell fragment in Pisky, Donetsk region. After three months of rehabilitation, he returned to the front.

He took part in the liberation of Karlivka, Pisky, Avdiivka, as well as in the battles near Stepanivka, Savur-Mohyla, Starohnativka.

On November 30, 2021, Dmytro Kotsiubailo was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine for personal courage in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmytro Kotsiubailo has been the commander of the Da Vinci Wolves special forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"We don't have a question - to go or not to go. Every fighter will go to victory," Dmytro said on the eve of the 31st Independence Day in the special project "Commanders, to Victory!" about military commanders born during Ukraine's independence. Da Vinci said the hardest thing for him was losing his comrades and friends: "Commanders, young commanders of battalions and brigades - everyone dies in this war."

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