Ukrainian actor Yakiv Tkachenko killed at frontline

This was reported by casting director Alla Samoilenko on her Facebook page.

‘So cinematic, so talented. A treasure. A man of gold. My great, great acting love and pride. On the shield,’ she wrote.

Actress Irma Vitovska-Vantsa also commented on Tkachenko's death: ‘Yakiv Tkachenko on the shield... Fly, dear and heartfelt. Glory to the Hero’.

Who is Yakiv Tkachenko?

Yakiv Tkachenko began his acting career in 2003. He played in theater and acted in films. The actor is known for his roles in the films Red, The Companions, The Price of Truth, Inglorious Serfs, Dovbush and the TV series The Carrier.

During the full-scale Russian invasion in early March 2022, he joined the 128th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In 2023, Yakiv Tkachenko was demobilized and later returned to the front as part of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The actor was wounded twice in the battles in the Donetsk sector.

• Petro Velykyi, an actor of the Chernihiv Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre named after Shevchenko, died at the front. The man was 48 years old.