He Returned Home on His Shield: Korabelnyi District Says Farewell to Pavlo Lemeshchenko

Terrible pain and sorrow engulf the soul… Once again, great grief has come to a family in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv — our hero and defender, Pavlo Lemeshchenko, has returned home on his shield. Let us preserve the bright memory of our valiant warrior, who gave his life for us!

PAVLO VIKTOROVYCH LEMESHCHENKO was born on November 7, 1972, in Apsheronsk, Krasnodar Krai. His parents moved to Mykolaiv in 1973, where Pavlo lived his entire life. He first attended Secondary School No. 33. After graduating from the Higher Vocational Shipbuilding School in Mykolaiv, he worked as an electrician throughout his career. He loved his profession dearly.

Among other places, he worked at Nika-Tera. His last place of work was Nibulon JV LLC. Pavlo had a loving family, a wife, and a daughter.

From March 13, 2022, he served in the 145th Repair Regiment and received certificates and commendations for outstanding service. In March 2025, he was transferred to the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and on May 15, 2025, he went missing while carrying out a combat mission.

On January 27, 2026, his family was informed that a DNA match had been found, confirming Pavlo’s death. He was killed near the village of Tarasivka, Kramatorsk District, Donetsk Region, on May 15, 2025, while carrying out a combat mission.

The funeral took place on February 6 at the church on Torgova Street.

Here is how Maryna Kh., a resident of Mykolaiv’s Korabelnyi district, remembers Pavlo:

“I want to tell you about a person. Someone I want to remember forever. He wasn’t a famous actor, a scientist, or even a politician. He was a good friend of mine—or, to be more precise, Pavlo Lemeshchenko, my friend and colleague’s husband…

Kindness was at the heart of Pavlo’s character. He was attentive, friendly, and had a subtle sense of humor. Before the war, whenever we met, he would almost always tell us a joke or a funny story. Pavlo was never fussy—no unnecessary movements or words. People like him are said to have a beautiful soul. I think I wasn’t the only one who saw him that way. It’s hard to say anything bad about Pavlo. He was a good son, brother, and friend. He was a responsible and diligent worker, both at Nika-Tera and at Nibulon, where he worked most recently.

But perhaps most importantly, he was a loving husband and father. Pavlo and his daughter Sonya were incredibly close. They were always joking with each other; it seemed they could understand one another with just a glance. The love between father and daughter was immeasurable. And that love, like Pavlo himself, was gentle and bright, without pressure or excessive strictness. They were happy together, and you could feel it. I witnessed their relationship.

Pavlo was an attentive and devoted husband. I remember March 2022—the day we met in the center of the Korabelnyi district. Pavlo told me he had received his call-up papers, and that he and his wife were getting ready. I remember the terrible shelling of the barracks in Mykolaiv—and how Pavlo was lucky to survive. There were many such close calls during his service. But the day came when his guardian angel, perhaps, grew tired.

From the very first day Pavlo joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he was almost a daily topic of conversation between me and Tetiana (Pavlo’s wife — ed.). Perhaps that is why I grew even more attached to him, and her anxiety became mine, too. I can’t imagine how women bear this emotional burden—when their husbands are on the front line, in captivity, and especially when they go missing. You want so badly to lift this pain from their souls so they can breathe more freely.

The only thing that offers some comfort is the hope that Pavlo and all the others who have died remain somewhere close to us. They have simply changed the form in which they exist. But they are here. And we need to get used to their new way of being.

Pavlo, I’m glad we met. You remain in my memory—bright, kind, and genuine.

And I believe Pavlo is close to those he loved most. He comes in dreams, in the quiet of the evenings, in those moments when his presence is especially needed. His bright image will remain forever with his wife, his daughter, and everyone who was fortunate enough to know him.”

The editorial team of Korabeliv.Info offers its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and fellow soldiers of the fallen Hero.

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