We are sad to announce that Vitaliy Derekh, the volunteer rescuer from the Maltese Aid Service, was killed in a battle in Donetsk Region. Vitaliy was a journalist, member of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting organization, and public activist. He took part in the Revolution of Dignity, rescued people on Institutskaya Street on February 20. From the spring of 2014 he fought in the Aidar Battalion in eastern Ukraine.
In 2016, Vitaliy joined the Maltese Aid Service, studying rescue work and first aid. Our volunteers remember that Vitaliy was most interested in technical rescue, he personally conducted many trainings on first aid in Ternopil. He always participated in patrols at events where the Maltese Aid Service has been involved.
From the first days of the full-scale war, Vitaliy again went to defend Ukraine – he took an active part in the battles near Kyiv, and later in the Luhansk region. He managed the calculation of anti-tank weapons, with which he eliminated many units of enemy equipment and personnel. He died on May 28 as a result of an enemy air strike.
Vitaliy will remain in our memory as an extremely active and creative person. His sense of humor and thousands of fantastic stories cannot be forgotten! Sleep without anxiety, friend!
