During a combat mission on the frontline, our comrade Serhii Apukhtin — vegan, anarchist, anti-fascist, our brother-in-arms and friend — perished.

In this post, we’ve collected memories of him from those who knew him closely: comrades-in-arms, members of initiatives that he took part in.

Resistance Committee

On May 23, during the combat mission, our brother-in-arms, Serhii “Pukh” Apukhtin, perished.

Pukh showed himself as a sincere person and a reliable brother-in-arms. Always selfless, always ready to the rescue with advice or action, sometimes it seemed he was ready to give all he had to others. Curious and proactive, he quickly rose through the ranks from squad number to mortar commander. From the very first mission, he turned out to be special and proved to be a brave fighter and a devoted comrade.

Always faithful to his ethical ideals, Serhii stayed vegan during his service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even in challenging conditions of training.  He loved people greatly, unconditionally, was always supportive and never judgmental. On vacations, he always found a way to volunteer, and during service, he always found time to give interviews to popularise veganism. Energetic and open, sincere and real. We’ll always miss Serhii.

Pukh is always in our ranks.

Solidarity Collectives 

Three years into this war, and we still don’t know what to say when our comrades fall. How do we tell the world what has happened? How do we come to terms with the fact that the kindest, most genuine people are the ones who die defending us, our dreams, our activism, our freedom, and even our flaws?

Serhii Apukhtin was killed on the front line. In our collective, he was known as “Pukh” — always open-hearted and kind. Every time we met, he smiled and radiated optimism and joy. Pukh was a passionate fighter for the rights of people, animals, and nature. Even while fiercely resisting the occupiers, he used his free moments to advocate for veganism and the ethical treatment of animals. Pukh collaborated with groups like Street Aid Daily, L’viv Vegan Kitchen, and Kozhna Tvaryna (Every Animal in Ukrainian). Just mentioning food would light him up, and he’d exclaim with playful enthusiasm: “Vegan? Delicacies!”

Now he’s gone, but it is our responsibility to carry on Pukh’s legacy: his gentleness and care for comrades and loved ones, his stubbornness and resilience in the fight against occupiers, against exploitation and hierarchies.

To remember is to fight.
 Rest in peace, hero.

Street Aid Daily

Serhii has regularly supported homeless people of Odesa, donating money and essentials being already in the military. Visited home during vacations between the combats, sorted his civil wardrobe and sent it to us, which is an example of endless solidarity that overcomes obstacles of war, exhaustion, life conditions, and running out of time.

The person who fueled with his energy and light without any double meanings, simple from the principle, unwaveringly responsive and consistent in upholding his values.

Thank you for the example, for the power of beliefs, for the protection of those who needed it. To remember is to fight.

Kozhna Tvaryna

MARHARYTA ARTIUKHOVA, ”Rationing for AFU” project curator

Serhii was an activist for animal rights, had deep ethical beliefs that animal exploitation by people should be stopped, he was a volunteer at the vegan community organisation “Kozhna Tvaryna”.

Right after the start of the full-scale invasion, our organisation started working on provisioning vegan fighters and vegetarians with plant-based food. We created plant-based rationing that we’ve sent to soldiers as a part of the project “Rationing for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, and are fighting for the implementation of this rationing at the state level. Serhii has actively helped in this struggle — recording videos about the importance of plant-based food for vegans in the military.

Recently, he visited Kyiv for a few days and has
spent the precious free time on assembling and shipment of the rations for other fighters — it was one of his main characteristics — to bring as much usefulness as you can, with incredible joy, energy and stubbornness.

We took a picture then, and it turned out to be the last time I saw him.


Eternal memory to the hero 🙏





David Chichkan, brother-in-arms

Serhii was a person who radiated life energy. Pukh always tried to ease the life of those around him, supported and shared, empathised and solidarised.

Pukh was a versatile person, was capable and knowledgeable, always longed to learn more and teach others. Pukh found joy in caring about others and those who need it the most. Progressive, enthusiastic, inspirational, full of perseverance and virtues.

His delicate sense of humour will never leave my memories.

Artek, brother-in-arms

Best chip in the pack, leader of the vegan movement, real psycho, Sieriozha.

Oh, how I’d love it to be a radio failure and a low battery issue when he was unavailable. How I’d love him to crash on the bike right now, just like he did when he got his fixed gear in the post office in Druzhkivka. How I’d love to hear him joking around, learn vegan recipes from him, be tired of walking, because he always was like he’s high on speed, though he didn’t do any from principle, basically, he was straight edge both ethically and politically, despite not claiming to be one. How I’d love him to come back from rotation early in the morning and start immediately cooking something, dressed only in a t-shirt and boxers, flying all over the kitchen, sorting trash, even without having any sleep. But war is a nonchalant, disgusting monster, and now this incredible person does not exist.

It was his choice to struggle and fight till the very end. He died during a combat mission, despite never making loud statements and didn’t romanticise war. He just did what he thought was right to do, in the name of life and never death. I am grateful to you, friend! For sincerity, for being honest until the very end and didn’t try to be someone they weren’t.

True till death.

Lesik, brother-in-arms

Serhii Apukhtin took his last fight and left in the sunset. It happened literally so, though the pathos of this phrase was alien to Pukh. The guy knowingly, taking into account all the risks, volunteered in the army and chose a dangerous and challenging profession, taking a position directly on the battlefield. He was taking down any propositions to work further in the rear. However, instead of pride, he blessed everyone around him with care and camaraderie. I saw his deep wisdom in it and a great soul power, to go along with his beliefs in the most challenging of conditions.

Comraderie, joy, and care — this is what everyone (not just close ones, but even acquaintances) is associating with Serhii. There was no such situation where we met (in the city near the frontline), and he didn’t invite us for a meal or share an aromatic cup of coffee. He could seriously and kindly talk about coffee with a shopkeeper 20km from the frontline, and with expertise and irony (always kind) — with a barista in Kharkiv or Kyiv. He was known in the modern urban culture and was generally an open-minded person with a wide spectrum of interests. He would have been a natural in a salon atmosphere, but in the dugout, he was his own man.

Pukh was someone to rely on for brothers-in-arms and his inner circle. He was steadily and purposefully destroying the occupant without forgetting his closest ones. His role in the movement of protecting people, animals, and = nature isn’t activism. It was his life, deep ideals, his nature. He continued living like that at the war. He was listening to people actively and tried to understand and empathise. He was an organic anarchist. Although he was an erudite, educated, and politically literate person. Maybe that is exactly why he chose the way of armed struggle against darkness.

The world used to become better with Pukh in it. Now it is our turn in his memory and with gratitude to make it better on our own, both on the frontline and in the rear.

Olena, military coordinator of SolCol

We’ve met with Serhii at the start

of 2023. On the question of why he decided to join the army, he has answered, astonished:

“Who, if not us?”

In 2022, he went through two operations on the backbone and lost sensation in his legs. Despite all that, he volunteered in the army and exercised every day. Now we know what he was preparing for.

I believe that he is one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever had a chance to work with. He has helped me a lot with tips on ammunition and equipment. It was very supportive.

He never complained — just acted: supporting brothers-in-arms, caring for animals, keeping his vegan diet, didn’t smoke and didn’t consume alcohol.

Serhii had a gift to see people’s potential, bring them together, and relieve tension. It was the most important lesson I’ve learnt from him.

I don’t know what to say, how to properly honour his memory. For me, this is a terrible and unfair loss.