Suspilne videographer Kyrylo Polikevych killed in combat

Kyrylo Polikevych/Collage by Suspilne

Suspilne Dnipro videographer turned soldier Kyrylo Polikevych was killed in action on March 16 while performing a combat mission near Preobrazhenka, Pokrovsk district, Donetsk oblast, reports Suspilne Broadcasting.

Kyrylo Polikevych was born and raised in Dnipro. In December 2008, he joined the oblast state television as a digital editing engineer. He worked with the morning programming. After Suspilne's creation, in 2018, he began working on on the interregional morning project “Morning at Suspilne” together with Oleksandra Fenenko. In 2020, he became a videographer.

He was drafted on June 28, 2023. He served in an air defense brigade, protecting the skies over Dnipro city. Later, he fought in the East, escaping encirclement together with his comrades twice. After rehabilitation, Kyrylo Polikevych resumed his service in Kherson oblast, later traveling east again. He was a grenade launcher in the motorized infantry battalion of the Black Zaporozhians mechanized brigade No. 72. In February 2025, he received the honorary award “Infantry of the Ukrainian Armed Forces” from his commander.

On April 27, Kyrylo would have turned 43. He is survived by his wife Olha and their daughter Sofia, aged 8.

Suspilne Dnipro team says that Kyrylo never parted with the camera, was extremely talented and professional, so the branch's key projects could have been produced without him.

“Kyrylo was a very kind person, reserved, but with a smile on his face. I only managed to work with him for month and a half before he enlisted. Still, wherever he would visit Dnipro and drop by the branch, we would sit in my office and talk. The last time he visited was on December 26, 2024. There were blackouts back then... We sat in the office in semi-darkness for about an hour, just talking... About life, about his service (he was in Kherson oblast then, and I know those places well), about his family, we were already making plans for his return to work. This is truly a tragedy for the entire Suspilne Dnipro family…” says Suspilne Dnipro manager Kateryna Lysiuk.

Suspilne Dnipro videographer Natalia Astratova added that Kyrylo was a calm and balanced person.

“While others can usually 'freak out' if something doesn’t work out or goes wrong, Kyrylo is always calm, never raises his voice. He had a great sense of humor. He always helped everyone, approached everything with understanding. He loved his job very much, often stayed overnight to finish editing the material. It’s just unbelievable, some stupid nightmare,” said Natalia Astratova.

You can financially support Kyrylo Polikevych’s family by donating here:

Olha Volodymyrivna Polikevych

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According to the Institute of Mass Information, Kyrylo Polikevych is the 100th media professional to die as a result of Russia's full-scale aggression.