13 October 2026
(IMAGE: Intent)
Intent continues its series of articles about fallen defenders, “Heroes Never Die.”
Andriy Anatoliyovych Zaluzhnyak, a soldier with the 170th Battalion of the 120th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces, was killed on July 26, 2024, near the village of Novosadove in the Kramatorsk District of Donetsk Oblast. His group was stationed at the “Korop” position, which was under constant enemy shelling and assaults.
His wife, Tetyana Mykhailivna, and his comrade-in-arms, known by the call sign “Fizruk,” shared stories about his life.
“Andriy was born in 1989 in the Khmelnytskyi region,” his wife recalls. “He lost his mother at an early age; he was only nine years old at the time. My husband’s greatest passion as a child was soccer; he rooted for Kyiv’s ‘Dynamo.’ And his all-time favorites were Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko.
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PHOTO provided by the interviewees
After school, Andriy completed his mandatory military service in the missile forces. He then trained as a painter and plasterer and worked in construction. He also dreamed of becoming a civil engineer.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
We met in the summer of 2012 in our home village of Zhabynci. After finishing my studies, I planned to stay in Kyiv to work. Andriy wanted to be close to me, so in the spring of 2013, he also moved to the capital. He proposed, and on September 28, we became husband and wife. At home, my husband was very tender and caring. I could feel his affection for me even in the little things.
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PHOTO provided by the interviewees
In 2017, our son Danila was born. I could see how important this was to Andriy. He was often away on business trips, but when he returned, he devoted a lot of time and attention to our son. When he came home from work, he never came empty-handed. He knew his son’s interests well, remembered which superheroes he loved, and always tried to make him happy with a toy he’d been dreaming of or a small gift. They played together, did crafts, made origami, and just talked. He dreamed of showing Danylo the Carpathians, the sea, and different parts of Ukraine.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
In 2014, our family felt the burden of war for the first time. My brother, Dmytro Hashchuk, was seriously wounded near Ilovaisk. Andriy was certain that Russia would not stop and that a major war was inevitable.
On February 24, 2022, Andriy was working in Brovary. Enemy strikes were already being felt very close by: there was a military unit right next to the construction site where he was working.
Andriy returned home (we were already living in the town of Bar in the Vinnytsia region) and went to the military registration and enlistment office on February 25. It wasn’t until the next day that his turn came. And by March 2, he had already packed his things. My husband, my brother Dmytro, and my father, Mykhailo Mykhailovych, were all assigned to the same 120th Brigade. Andriy served in the 3rd Company of the 170th Battalion.”
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
“Andriy is from the city of Bar in the Vinnytsia region, and I’m from the Bar district,” says a fellow soldier with the call sign “Fizruk.” “We met in the early days of the war, when our unit was being formed from volunteers as part of the 120th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces. Later, we also volunteered to join the reconnaissance group.
Andrusik—that’s what I called him—was the life of the party, always smiling. I don’t know why he was so happy in life. I also jokingly called him “the opossum” because his smile made him look just like the opossum from *Ice Age*.
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PHOTO provided by the interviewees
I was seriously wounded near Bakhmut. Andriy carried me out as part of a six-man team. Back then, with my guys, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I knew they would never abandon their positions, never leave me behind, and never back down from a mission.
Then, in the Lyman sector, the war was completely different. Drones changed everything.
Andriy was at the “Korop” position, which was extremely difficult. Ninety percent of the enemy’s assaults went through there. Enemy artillery and mortars were pounding us there. Drones dropping explosives kept us from raising our heads, while enemy infantry tried to break into the trenches.
I saw on the livestream that Andriy and his group were suppressing the enemy with fire and throwing grenades at them. Andrusik was wounded, but he still filed a report on the situation. Unfortunately, while the group was being evacuated from the “Korop” position, the enemy resumed its frenzied attack on the position—artillery and mortars were firing, drones carrying explosives and FPV drones were in action, and infantry was advancing. Andriy’s life could not be saved.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
“Andriy is a true hero to me. He made his choice and remained true to it until the very end. My brother-in-arms never wavered; he endured and tried to do everything the right way.”
“Andriy still had many unfulfilled dreams,” adds Tetyana. “He wanted to get a college degree, get his driver’s license, and take his son Danylo to soccer games. He was a man with a big heart, a loving husband and father who built, loved, and dreamed. And he remained true to his principles and to Ukraine.”
Антон Терехов