Mykola Babych

Senior Lieutenant Mykola Babych was killed on July 28, 2022, while held in russian captivity. That day, russian forces set off explosives inside the barracks where Ukrainian prisoners of war were confined at the Olenivka penal colony №120 in the Donetsk region. On August 12, he would have turned 31.

Mykola was born in the village of Voskresenka in Sumy region. In 2008, he enrolled at the Putyvl Vocational School, initially training as a tile setter before switching to study tractor and machinery operation. After graduating in 2010, he was immediately conscripted and served his mandatory military service in Mariupol with the National Guard of Ukraine’s military unit 3057.

In 2013, he met the love of his life, and a year later, they married and welcomed their first child. In 2016, Mykola entered the Kharkiv National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, earning a bachelor’s degree in automotive transport.

He served under contract in the 12th Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard and lived in Mariupol. Mykola carried out combat missions in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and Joint Forces Operation (JFO), constantly striving to improve his military skills. He eventually became a platoon commander responsible for armored vehicles in a repair unit.

From the first day of russia’s full-scale invasion — February 24, 2022 — he defended Mariupol and the Azovstal steelworks alongside his brothers-in-arms. That spring, following orders from military command, Mykola entered captivity and was transferred to Olenivka. He never returned.

In 2016, he received the Ukrainian Presidential Award “For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation.” In 2021, the National Guard honored him for outstanding service, commending his loyalty to Ukraine, discipline in carrying out military duties, and determination on the battlefield. Posthumously, he was awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd Class.

“To me and our son, my husband is the embodiment of courage and what it means to be a true man. He was the same for his mother. He lost his father at just seven years old and took on responsibility early, helping his mother with household work. He never really had hobbies — it was school, friends, chores. He loved building forts in trees, taking things apart, and putting them back together. Even though he had to grow up fast, he remembered his childhood with warmth and a smile… We will always be proud of him. He was our Hero, our steadfast patriot — an undefeated warrior. His mother’s only son, my irreplaceable husband, and the best father to our child,” shared Vira Babych, his wife.

After a prisoner body exchange in June 2023, Mykola was laid to rest on the Alley of Glory near the city of Buryn, Sumy region.

His mother, wife, and son never got to see their Hero return.

Source: Memorial

Contributors: Sophia Yakivtsiv and Tetiana Spindel (translators), Liena Shulika (designer)