Vitaly Merinov went to the front on the first day of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

On the night of March 31 , boxing master Vitaly Merinov died from injuries sustained in a battle in a hospital . The hero is survived by his wife and two-year-old daughter.

The tragic news was announced by the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv.

“An irreparable loss for the Ivano-Frankivsk community. Vitaly Merinov died from injuries sustained in the battle at night in the hospital.

Sincere condolences to the family and loved ones. Eternal memory to the Hero,” Martsinkiv said on his Facebook page .

The 32-year-old athlete went to the front on the first day of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. During one of the battles, he received a shrapnel wound in the leg, but recovered and returned to the front.

Vitaliy Merinov was a four-time world champion in kickboxing and a champion of Ukraine in universal combat. 

Also, Vitaliy was a member of the executive committee of the Ivano-Frankivsk city council and a deputy of the mayor’s office of the last convocation.

In 2014, he participated in the ATO as part of the National Guard of Ukraine. 

(C)UNIAN 2023