Eighteen-year-old Oleksandr Laziuk, known by the call sign Zeus, was killed in a Russian artillery strike on 23 August, 2024. He fought his last battle near the village of Serhiivka, Luhansk region. His comrades carried him, nearly unconscious, to a stabilization point, but he died from his wounds. Later, his brothers-in-arms told Oleksandr’s mother, ‘Thanks to your Sasha, we are all alive. He was the first to sense the danger and sent us ahead, while he stayed behind.’
Oleksandr was born in the village of Zarvantsi, Vinnytsia region. After finishing 7th grade, he entered the military school in Tulchyn, and upon graduation went on to study at Vinnytsia State Agrarian University. From childhood, he practiced dancing professionally and loved sports, especially football. He dreamed of becoming a soldier.
The day after his 18th birthday, Oleksandr volunteered to join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. He defended his homeland as a rifleman of the 2nd mechanized squad, 2nd mechanized platoon, 3rd mechanized company.
His mother remembered,
‘In 2014, Sasha [short for Oleksandr] was eight years old and he told me: “If by the time I turn 18 nothing has stabilized, I will go to fight. I was born to become a real man, I must go and defend.”
‘All those years I prayed for the war to end, but on March 19, when Sasha turned 18, he went to the front. All these years my son was preparing, he completed a basic training course in Vinnytsia. Almost everyone in our family is military, and Sasha dreamed of becoming an officer, dreamed that I would be proud of him.
‘In 7th grade he came to me and said he would study at the military school in Tulchyn. I was sure my child would be fine – he never complained of pain or discomfort. He was always patient and strong. He helped everyone, whether it was a child or an elderly person – he gave everything.
‘And he was the same during his service. He would say to me: “Mom, I can’t help you with anything, because you already have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in, but here everything is in ruins.”
‘He loved animals deeply, always brought home whoever he found, fed them, cared for them. My son is my Hero. His dream came true – I am endlessly proud of him, but my heart and soul went with him, with my Sasha.’
Oleksandr was buried in his home village, and is survived by his mother, two brothers, and his grandmother. Private Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Laziuk is commemorated on the Alley of Heroes in the village of Yakushyntsi, Vinnytsia region.