He returned from Israel and died defending Ukraine

A mournful and painful news has come to the Ukrainian community: on the front line, the Defender of Ukraine, Lieutenant Kirill Evgenyevich Slepukhov — commander of the second crew of the electronic intelligence station of the battalion’s unmanned systems maneuver group, has died. His life ended on January 25, 2026, during a combat mission near the village of Kivsharivka in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region.

Source – Hrebinkivska City Council.

Kirill Slepukhov was born on February 21, 1986, in Donetsk. He graduated from a Donetsk school, then Donetsk Law University, obtaining a degree in law. He worked as an assistant prosecutor — a calm, structured civilian biography that could have continued further.

In 2013, he moved to his family in Israel. But when the ATO began in Ukraine, Kirill could not stay away. Leaving a peaceful life abroad, he returned from Israel to stand in defense of his native land. It was not a gesture or emotion — it was a conscious choice.

With the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kirill, as a career officer, joined the territorial defense ranks in Boryspil. In Vinnytsia, he trained as an unmanned systems operator. Then came the most difficult sections of the front in Kharkiv region.

He performed tasks, including assignments of special importance. He served in responsible directions that were dangerous and required high concentration and professionalism. Much of what he did for Ukraine, for understandable reasons, will remain outside public words and messages.

Those who served alongside him remember him as a man of few words — always speaking to the point, honestly and directly. His words were not superfluous, but full of meaning. Kind, sincere, open to people, he easily found common ground with comrades and left behind a feeling of warmth and reliability.

His special love was for his grandchildren — Mykhailik and Solomiika. In them, he saw the future, for which, in his conviction, it was worth living and fighting.

War often turns destinies into dry reports, but such stories return a real dimension to what is happening. NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers it important to speak about people by name — about those who could have remained safe but returned and made their choice.

The bright memory of Kirill Slepukhov will forever remain in our hearts. His courage and dedication to Ukraine will not be forgotten.

Sincere condolences to his wife Maria and the entire family. We bow our heads in sorrow and share your pain.