Ukrainian actor Vasyl Kukharskyi dies following severe injuries on front lines

The Kyiv-based Theater on Podil announced in a Facebook statement that Ukrainian actor Vasyl Kukharskyi died on Dec. 7. Kukharskyi was 42 years old.

He joined Ukraine’s Armed Forces shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

In September, Ukrainian film director Oles Sanin wrote that Kukharskyi had been seriously injured at the front, and that he would require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Kukharskyi played a major role in the 2022 film Maksym Osa, which was based on the Ukrainian comic book about the Cossack Maksym Osa. He also appeared in numerous other television and film roles, including Vataha and Toloka.

Tributes honored Kukharskyi amidst the news of his passing; his wife Nataliya Gordiy-Kukharska remembered him as a “real warrior, courageous Cossack, a talented actor, the kind of dad you can only dream of." Oles Sanin honored him as well, comparing his bravery to that of a Knight.