"He dared to break stereotypes": the story of a student killed in the Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih
Oleksii Akymenko, a student at Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University who also worked as a teacher, was killed together with his grandmother in a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih on 17 January, aged just 20. The young man was actively involved in student life, volunteering, collecting books and going on field trips.
Source: Oleksandr Vilkul, Chairman of Kryvyi Rih Defence Council; Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University
Details: Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University said Oleksii had been studying Geography there.
University lecturer Volodymyr Kazakov said that on the day of the tragedy, after the first strike on the city, Oleksii ran to a building that had been hit in an attempt to rescue his aunt.
Local animal rescue volunteers said that a 22-year-old woman 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 for travel and hikes, he went on expeditions. He had a sharp mind and a great thirst for knowledge and exploration of the world. He would take risks and was always ready to help people."
More details: The university added that Oleksii was the head of the faculty’s cultural events department, played an active role on the student council, and "energised" everyone around him.
Describing Oleksii as "extraordinary" and "creative", the university said he had "dared to break stereotypes".
Read more: Prominent neuroscientist and biochemist: renowned scientist couple killed in Kyiv in Russian attack
Oleksii also taught geography at Kryvyi Rih's Impulse Lyceum No. 35, where his colleagues described him as a "talented and promising" teacher with "ambitious plans" for his professional and personal life.
Best Friend, an animal protection organisation, said Oleksii had also volunteered and helped out at a local shelter for stray animals.
The volunteers reminisced about how in 2021, with other students from the faculty, he filmed a video for the animal shelter, and had brought hay for the dogs to keep them warm on New Year's Eve 2024.
Background: On 17 January, local resident Ihor lost his second wife in a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kryvyi Rih. His first wife had been killed in the city of Kherson.
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