He blew himself up and stopped the Russian advance on Henichesk. He paid the price of freedom.
Tymofiy Mylovanov is a Ukrainian economist and former Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine in the government of Oleksiy Honcharuk. After his dismissal as government minister Mylovanov was appointed president of the Kyiv School of Economics. He posts daily about Ukraine on X.
When I saw the picture of Sakum in Tymofiy’s post, I thought of my friend, Pasha. He is young, a welder turned pastor, and conscripted into the Ukrainian army in 2025. He is away from his young wife and his church. Pasha is like so many Ukrainians today, facing uncertainty and war.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
He blew himself up and stopped the Russian advance on Henichesk. Marine Vitalii Skakun was killed on February 24, 2022, after detonating the Henichesk road bridge with himself on it. It slowed the Russian push from Crimea and gave Ukraine time to prepare defences in the south.(Source)
He became the first serviceman of the full-scale invasion to receive the title Hero of Ukraine with the wording: “for exceptional personal courage and heroism,”
Model Car Collector
Vitalii was born on August 19, 1996, in Berezhany, Ternopil region. His father was a local police officer, his mother a schoolteacher. At school he read historical books and collected model cars.
In Lviv he trained as a welder and practised armwrestling.
In 2019 he signed a contract and joined the Ukrainian Marine Corps. He served in the 35th Separate Marine Brigade. Two rotations in eastern Ukraine. He studied combat engineering and taught schoolchildren in Kherson region how to recognize mines and explosive devices.
On the evening of February 23, he told his mother by phone: “It will start soon. No one will help us. We have to fight back ourselves.”
February 24, 2022
At 4:00 a.m. on February 24, his unit was put on alert. Sappers were ordered to mine the bridge between the Arabat Spit and Henichesk. A Russian tank column was moving from Crimea. About 5 kilometres remained to the bridge.
Skakun and his comrade Oleksandr Tkach laid explosives, stretched detonating wire, moved 500 meters away and waited for the command. The order came: detonate. They pressed the trigger.
Nothing happened.
The Russian tanks kept advancing. The explosives were strong enough to destroy even three nine-story buildings. If the bridge stood, the column would break through to the mainland.
Skakun told his comrade: “Sanya, fall back. I’ll do it.” He took the capacitor blasting machine and ran back onto the bridge. Seconds later, the explosion went off. 
The Price of Freedom
The bridge was destroyed. Heavy armour could not cross. Ukrainian command gained time to redeploy units and organize defence. His decision saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers.
He was 25. His mother received a closed coffin. She was told: “There is earth inside from the place where he died.”
Sakum is like so many Ukrainians who have died resisting the invader. I share his story because we all know someone who is 25 years old. Perhaps a son or a student or friend. His willingness to die to save others is righteous. Ukrainians pay the full price of freedom. Our freedom.
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