UAV operator, Roman Ratushnyi's elder brother Vasyl killed in combat

Drone operator Vasyl Ratushnyi, elder brother of late public activist and Kholodnyi Yar Brigade No. 93 scout Roman Ratushnyi, was killed in action on February 27, 2025.

Their mother, poet Svitlana Povalyaeva, announced this on Facebook.

“This night, during a combat mission, Magyar's Birds UAV pilot Vasyl Ratushnyi was killed by a direct FPV hit. My eldest son, my life,” wrote Mrs. Svitlana.

Vasyl Ratushnyi. Photo by Svitlana Povalyaeva on Facebook

She also posted a screenshot of their chat where he talks about his service and she replies that she is proud of him.

Vasyl Ratushnyi. Photo by Taras Ratushnyi on Instagram

Who is Roman Ratushnyi

Roman Ratushnyi was the head of the NGO Save Protasiv Yar and a scout of the separate mechanized brigade No. 93 Kholodnyi Yar. He was killed in action near Izyum (Kharkiv oblast) on June 9, 2022.

In September 2022, the Kyiv City Council renamed Volhohradska Street in the capital's Solomyanskyi District to Roman Ratushnyi Street.

In November 2023, the Kyiv City Council voted to name the nature reserve Protasiv Yar after Roman Ratushnyi, a public activist and Kholodnyi Yar Brigade No. 93 scout.