KOVAL Mykhailo Olegovych
(18 November 1990, Vasylkivtsi village, Husiatyn district, Ternopil region – 12 January 2025, near Yampil village, Lyman TG, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region, buried on 16 January 2025 in Vasylkivtsi village, Chortkiv district) – president of FC Podillya (Vasylkivtsi), agrarian, Ukrainian military officer, major, commander of the 55th battalion of the 63rd separate mechanised brigade. A 2019 graduate of TNEU, Novovolynsk Educational and Scientific Institute of Economics and Management.
Mykhailo Koval was born on 18 November 1990 in the village of Vasylkivtsi, Ternopil region.
Mykhailo was not only a pasionate but also an active public figure. He was the president of Podillya football club, and thanks to his efforts, a modern stadium was built in his native village. He always believed in the development of sport and actively encouraged young people to lead a healthy lifestyle. In addition, Mykhailo was involved in the family agricultural business, actively supporting the development of the local economy.
In 2014, at the beginning of the war, Mykhailo stood up to defend Ukraine by joining the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Later, he completed his bachelor’s degree at the Novovolynsk Educational and Scientific Institute of Economics and Management of TNEU in 2018, and in 2019 he received a master’s degree in Management (specialising in Financial and Economic Security Management).
After beginning the full-scale invasion in 2022, Mykhailo returned to the Armed Forces. His comrades recall how he was able to reformat and strengthen the fighting spirit of his battalion in a matter of days, becoming a true leader and source of inspiration for them.
On 12 January 2025, while carrying out a combat mission near Yampil in the Lyman community, an enemy FPV drone struck the vehicle in which Mykhailo, commander of the 55th Battalion of the 63rd Separate Mechanised Brigade, was travelling with his comrades. Everyone in the vehicle was killed.
For his dedication to his homeland, Mykhailo was posthumously awarded the title of ‘Honorary Citizen of the Ternopil Region’ (2025).
Sources:
1. Відділ інформації та зв’язків з громадськістю. Сумуємо. Західноукраїнський національний університет. URL : https://www.wunu.edu.ua/news/27253-sumuyemo.html.
2. Коваль Михайло Олегович. Тернопільщина. Регіональний інформаційний портал. URL : https://irp.te.ua/koval-myhajlo-olegovych/.
3. Гончар І. На війні загинув президент українського футбольного клубу. Главком. URL : https://glavcom.ua/news/na-vijni-zahinuv-prezident-ukrajinskoho-futbolnoho-klubu-1040526.html.
4. Скібньовський Віктор Степанович. Присвоєння звання Героя України (посмертно) Ковалю Михайлу Олеговичу, майору, командиру 55-го батальйону 63-ї ОМБр. ). Електронні петиції. Офіційне інтернет-преставництво Президента України. URL : https://petition.president.gov.ua/petition/240886.