On October 17, 2025, surgeon Oleksandr Polyakin from Rozdilna in the Odesa region, who had been saving the lives of wounded defenders as part of PDMSh, passed away after sustaining severe injuries on the front line. Doctors fought for his life for nearly three months, but were unable to save him.
Oleksandr Polyakin, call sign “Polyak,” was a graduate of Odesa National Medical University in 1990. For more than 20 years, he devoted himself to surgery in his hometown of Rozdilna: first at the railway hospital, and later at the Rozdilna Multidisciplinary Hospital.
Oleksandr Polyakin’s path as a volunteer began with PDMSh back in 2018. With the start of the full-scale invasion, despite his age, Oleksandr Borysovych became one of the most active PDMSh volunteers, completing over 20 rotations in the hottest areas of the front, working both at stabilization points and in medical evacuation.
On July 21, 2025, Oleksandr sustained severe injuries on the front line. Doctors at Feofaniya Hospital fought for his life for three months, but on October 17, 2025, “Polyak’s” heart stopped.
We believe that a person lives on as long as they are remembered. Together with Oleksandr Polyakin’s family, it was decided to establish a named scholarship for the most outstanding interns at the university where he studied.
The first scholarship payments will be made in April 2026. The recipients are young interns Anastasiia Vikol and Vadym Prosvitliuk. The official award ceremony is scheduled for May 26.
Our friend “Polyak” was a person of the highest integrity, a reliable comrade, and a true professional. His name will now forever be associated with the development of Ukrainian surgery and the training of those who, like him, will save lives in the most difficult times.