Ivan Brest, commander of the Belarusian Volat battalion, dies in the battle for Lysychansk

The Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment informs about this on Facebook. 

"It is with pain in our hearts that we inform you that the commander of the Volat battalion with the call sign Brest died heroically while performing his combat duty. From the first days of the full-scale war, he defended Ukraine from Russian aggression and was at the origin of the creation of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment. We knew him as a brave, determined, and selfless person who is ready to do anything for the sake of each of his fighters. Brest had exceptional authority among the soldiers of the regiment. In addition, he was a faithful son of the Belarusian land and believed in the future of a free Belarus. This is a very big and painful loss for all of us," - it is reported. 

It is noted that on June 26, the Volat battalion of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment took part in holding back a Russian tank breakthrough in the Lysychansk region. During the battle, a small group of fighters engaged in an unequal battle with units of the Russian occupiers. After several hours of fighting, the Russian attack was repulsed. However, in the second wave, the fighters of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment were forced to retreat due to the significant superiority of the enemy's forces. At the same time, the Belarusian battalion continued to direct Ukrainian artillery against the manpower and equipment of the Russian invaders. It is reported that at some point the communication with the Volat battalion was lost.

"We can say with confidence that due to personal heroism and self-sacrifice, our Belarusian soldiers were able to stop the advance of the enemy column. Thus, they gave the main forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the opportunity to safely withdraw in this direction," - the post states.