b. 1972
Ihor Hordiichuk
Hero of Ukraine, defended Savur-Mohyla
The call sign “Sumrak” (Twilight) spooked the enemy before they even knew his name. In August 2014, reconnaissance officer Ihor Hordiichuk held the hill Savur-Mohyla under fire for 12 days, was badly wounded and left on the battlefield by the enemy - and survived.
Key accomplishments
- Led the reconnaissance group that seized and held the hill Savur-Mohyla in the Donetsk region for 12 days from 12 August 2014; wounded in the head while breaking out of encirclement
- Made a Hero of Ukraine with the Gold Star order by Presidential Decree No. 816/2014 of 21 October 2014
- Promoted to major general at the 2016 Independence Day parade; headed the Kyiv Military Lyceum named after Ivan Bohun until 2023
- Deputy head of the National Defence University of Ukraine since November 2023
Why “Sumrak”?
A group of 14 scouts under Colonel Ihor Hordiichuk broke through on 12 August 2014 to Savur-Mohyla - a hill in the Donetsk region that overlooks the surrounding land for miles. His call sign, “Sumrak” (Twilight), became a sign to the enemy that the hill would not fall.
Twelve days under fire
The scouts set up an observation post and began directing artillery fire onto enemy positions. For twelve days the hill held under constant shelling and assaults; Hordiichuk was concussed more than once but stayed at his post. When the encirclement grew critical, the group fought its way out. During the breakout a large shrapnel fragment struck Hordiichuk in the head, unprotected by a helmet. The enemy left him on the field for dead - he survived, though it took months in hospitals, including the Walter Reed military medical centre in the US, to recover.
On 21 October 2014 a presidential decree made him a Hero of Ukraine with the Gold Star order. In 2016, at the Independence Day parade, he was promoted to major general.
From lyceum to university
Before his rehabilitation was even finished, Hordiichuk took on a new mission: heading the Kyiv Military Lyceum named after Ivan Bohun, a 17th-century Cossack colonel who defended Ukraine much as Hordiichuk defended Savur-Mohyla. For seven years he raised teenagers who, after 2022, went on to defend the country themselves. In November 2023 he became deputy head of the National Defence University of Ukraine.
Why it matters today
Ihor Hordiichuk showed that a small group can hold a key height against far larger forces, and Savur-Mohyla became a symbol of it. A severe wound did not end his service: he went on to raise the next generation, and after 2022 his cadets went to defend the country themselves. His story is for anyone who thinks there is no getting up after a blow: you can hold on and keep serving your country.
