In Dnipro, unknown individuals have vandalized the memorial plaque dedicated to Donetsk airport defender Andriy Shyrokov, known by the call sign "Family Man," for the second time. This was reported by "Vydomo" referencing Radio Svoboda.
The memorial plaque, which has been damaged again by unidentified perpetrators, is installed on the building of the railway college where he studied.
As shared by the widow of the fallen soldier, Anna Shchasna-Harus, the broken plaque was noticed this past Saturday, October 19. It was first damaged on the night of December 28, 2023.
In April of this year, the woman restored the memorial sign at her own expense. Anna mentioned that she had also funded the installation of the plaque five years ago.
"I not only restored the plaque at my own expense but also installed a camera with two lenses. I set up video surveillance, and I have a technician who assisted me. This cost about 30,000 hryvnias. It turned out that the camera was not functioning at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, at the college, in addition to the plaque for my husband, there are two other memorial signs – for Russian poet Dmitry Kedrin and Soviet designer Ivan Gvaya. No one touches them. I want our society to see this through: firstly, to punish those responsible for the vandalism of my husband’s plaque, and secondly, to remove these two bas-reliefs," – said Anna Shchasna-Harus.
The woman has filed a report about the crime with the police.
It is known that the memorial plaque for the fallen volunteer soldier Andriy Shyrokov, known by the call sign "Family Man," was unveiled on April 11, 2018. At that time, it looked like this:
Andriy Shyrokov, originally from the town of Dmytrivka in Donetsk region, participated in combat operations in Donbas for more than two years, having served in "hot" spots, including Pisky, at the "Bytivka" coal mine, and during two rotations at Donetsk airport, where he sustained a minor injury.
Initially, he fought as a volunteer with the DUC "Right Sector," later legalizing his service with the 54th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine alongside his combat comrades. He was killed by a sniper's bullet during the battles at the Svitlodarsk bulge in December 2016. He left behind a wife and five children.