On October 21st, on what would have been Danylo Kandyba’s (“Hrach”) 23rd birthday, an event honoring the Defender’s memory took place at the War Museum. The Hero will forever remain 22.
The event was attended by his mother Olha, brother Ivan, fiancée Karyna, and brothers-in-arms. They shared stories from Danylo’s civilian and military life. Olha recalled: “Dania was always cheerful and smiling. That’s how everyone who knew him remembers him.”
Danylo grew up in a military family, which determined his childhood dream of becoming a warrior. After the ninth grade, like his brother, he enrolled in a military lyceum, but that wasn’t enough for him. Instead of resting every weekend, he went to tactical training sessions to gain practical experience. He was interested in everything related to sapper work.
At just 18 years old, he signed a contract with the National Guard of Ukraine as a sapper—“he could barely wait to turn eighteen,” as his brother Ivan recalled.
In early February 2022, Danylo and his father, Lieutenant Colonel Serhii Kandyba, went on rotation to different locations. During his last communication from “Azovstal,” the father asked about his son, and just a few days later, the news of Lieutenant Colonel Kandyba’s death arrived.
Despite his mother’s pleas to leave the service, Danylo continued his fight against the aggressor. Later, “Hrach” completed demining courses and joined the “First Line” unit within the “Tymur Special Detachment” of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU). “He didn’t just serve—he lived it,” shared his elder brother Ivan.
On July 2, 2025, while performing a combat mission in the Sumy direction, Danylo’s group was hit by a munition dropped from a Russian drone. Inside was the chemical substance chloropicrin, which has been banned since World War I. The soldier suffered 80% body burns.
Ukrainian and German doctors fought for his life for 22 days, but the injuries proved incompatible with life. The Hero’s life ended in early August 2025.
During the event, warm memories from relatives and friends were shared, and brothers-in-arms sent a video address from the front—words filled with pain, pride, and remembrance.
The family donated Danylo’s personal belongings to the War Museum’s collection. Among them were the chest patches of both the son and the father, whose memory the Museum will now cherish for future generations.
