Aliaksiej Skoblia

Skoblia was born in Minsk, his mother was a kindergarten teacher and his father a bus driver. From childhood he was interested in history.[3]

After the ninth grade he entered a car mechanic college in Minsk. He took part in the 2011 Belarusian protests against the Lukashenko regime, for which he was briefly arrested and fined.[4]

In 2015, Skoblia went to Eastern Ukraine as a fighter-volunteer and became a deputy commander. He stood at the origins of the organisation of Belarusian volunteers who fought for Ukraine in the Donbas War. Between 2021 and 2022 he served in the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine on a contract basis.[4][5]

Following the 2022 Russian invasion Skoblia became a deputy commander of the newly formed Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion of Belarusian volunteers. On 13 March 2022 on the outskirts of Kyiv, his unit was ambushed by Russian troops. Skoblia died of wounds, covering the retreat of his troops. In the week preceding his death, he rescued ten wounded comrades-in-arms using his professional medical skills.[6][7][8][9]

A farewell ceremony took place on 16 March 2022 at the Kyiv Crematorium, at which a specially composed poem was read:

“I will go through a steadily difficult path of endless and bloody war.

Let us raise the flag of noble glory over our mighty shoulders.

As Kastuś Kalinoŭski is my example, so is the fate of my comrade Litvin.

I will liberate Belarus through the liberation of Ukraine.

Like "Tur" (Bison), I swear to defend my comrades-in-arms in the heat of the battle.

Our honour will live forever in the memory of our homeland. "[5]

On 13 April 2022, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Skoblia the title of "Hero of Ukraine" - "for personal courage and heroism in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath."[1][9]