“He dared to break stereotypes”: Story of student killed in Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih
Pravda Ukraine
Oleksii Akymenko, 20, a student of a Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University and teacher, was killed in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih on 17 January. The young man was actively involved in student life, volunteering, collecting books and going on research expeditions.
Source: Oleksandr Vilkul, Kryvyi Rih Defence Council Chairman; Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University
Details: The Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University said that Oleksii was studying Geography at their university.
A university lecturer, Volodymyr Kazakov, noted that on the day of the tragedy, after the first strike on the city, the young man ran to the damaged building and tried to save his aunt.
Local animal volunteers claim that the girl, 22, who later died in a Kryvyi Rih hospital, was Oleksii’s aunt.
Quote from Volodymyr Kazakov: “We have lost a future geographer and teacher. He had many plans to travel and hike and went on expeditions. He had a sharp mind and a great thirst for knowledge and exploration of the world. He took risks and was always ready to help people.”
More details: The university added that Oleksii was the head of the cultural and mass sector of the faculty, took an active part in the activities of the student council and “energised” everyone around him.
The school added that Oleksii was extraordinary and creative and “dared to break stereotypes”.
Read more: Prominent neuroscientist and biochemist: renowned scientist couple killed in Kyiv in Russian attack
He also taught geography at Kryvyi Rih’s Impulse Lyceum No. 35. Oleksiiʼs colleagues described him as a “talented and promising” teacher with “grandiose plans” for his professional and personal life.
The Best Friend animal protection community said Oleksii Akymenko also volunteered and helped a local shelter for stray animals.
The volunteers recall that in 2021, along with the students of the faculty, he filmed a video for the menagerie, and on New Year’s Eve in 2024, he brought hay for the dogs to keep them warm.
Background: On 17 January, local resident Ihor of Kryvyi Rih lost his second wife in a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kryvyi Rih. His first wife was killed in the city of Kherson.
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