Journalist turned serviceman Petro Chernykh dies after prolonged illness caused by battle wound

Serviceman, volunteer, and former journalist Petro Chernykh has died of an illness caused by a wound received in action in the East of Ukraine on May 27, 2025, as Petro's relatives and friends told the Institute of Mass Information.

Petro's family and friends say that his journey as a defender of Ukraine began long before the full-scale invasion. He actively worked as a volunteer since 2014, making dozens of trips to the front line.

Petro Chernykh. Photo from his Facebook page

In the very first days of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Petro Chernykh volunteered to defend Ukraine and enlisted in the Battalion No. 128 of the Brigade No. 112 of the Territorial Defense Forces.

As a brigade member, he took part in the battle of Kyiv and later survived through the hottest battles in Kharkiv oblast and Bilohorivka, Luhansk oblast.

“He was the best comrade, a brother-in-arms who would lend a hand anytime. He was always on the front line, never afraid, always the first of the first,” his fellow serviceman, senior soldier Serhiy Shcherbak, tells the IMI. “When we were stationed on the Siverskiy Donets, he kept saying how beautiful it was, how cool it would be to visit that place in peacetime. Unfortunately, this dream of his never came true.”

Petro Chernykh. Photo shared with the IMI by his friends

Having suffered several concussions during his service, Petro Chernykh developed a severe illness and was discharged from the army. But even as he was fighting the disease, he remained a source of support for his brothers-in-arms and family: a model of courage and indomitability.

In civilian life, Petro Chernykh was a journalist of talent and integrity and a communications specialist. He reported for the news agency UNIAN, later joining the press service of the company Energoatom, and was a contributor to Mind.ua. He repeatedly spoke out about independence of the media and the value of freedom of speech, and was not afraid to defend these values throughout his life.

“Petro Chernykh accepted all challenges with dignity, never refused difficult tasks, and was an example for his comrades and colleagues,” says his former colleague, journalist Andriy Harasym.

Peter's colleagues, brothers-in-arms, and friends express their deepest condolences to his family and honor his memory as a man of great dignity, courage, and integrity.