Valerii Hudz

Valerii Fedorovych Hudz (Ukrainian: Валерій Федорович Гудзь; 12 February 1971 – 12 March 2022) was a Ukrainian serviceman.^[1]

Valerii Fedorovych Hudz
Native name	Валерій Федорович Гудзь
Birth name	Valerii Fedorovych Hudz
Born	(1971-02-12)12 February 1971 Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	12 March 2022(2022-03-12) (aged 51) Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine
Allegiance	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Army
Years of service	1991–2001 2014–2022
Rank	Colonel
Unit	24th Mechanized Brigade, 72nd Mechanized Brigade
Battles / wars	Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Battle on the Border Battle of Avdiivka Russian invasion of Ukraine Eastern Ukraine campaign †
Awards	Order of the Gold Star (posthumously)

Career

Hudz's military career began in 1999, and ended in 2001. In 2014, following the Revolution of Dignity and the start of the war in Donbas, Hudz came out of retirement to serve in the Ukrainian Army once more.

He was a Colonel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving as commander of the 24th Mechanized Brigade from 2017 to 2020.^[2] Hudz fought in sector "D" on the border war with Russia, in the area of Volnovakha and Avdiivka. He died at age 51 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Luhansk region. He was posthumously awarded the highest award in Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine.^[3][4][5]