Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun (19 August 1996 – 24 February 2022) was a Ukrainian marine combat engineer.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Skakun's was sent to protect the town of Henichesk. As the Russian military got close to the town, Ukrainian forces decided to destroy the Henichesk bridge, in order to slow the Russian troops advancing northward from Crimea. Skakun, a combat engineer, volunteered to place mines on the bridge.

Vitalii Skakun

On 24 February 2022, after placing the explosives, Skakun did not have enough time to leave from the bridge and, after texting his soldiers, blew up the mines killing himself and destroying the bridge. His actions slowed the Russian military.

Vitalii Skakun

On 26 February 2022, Skakun was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star, the military version of the title of Hero of Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vitalii Skakun

References

1996 births

2022 deaths

Ukrainian military people

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Marine engineers