NOVEMBER 30, 1986 — APRIL 20, 2023
36 YEARS, JOURNALIST, RADIO PRESENTER
Dmytro was a Sievierodonetsk native. When the town was occupied in 2014, Dmytro temporarily moved to Kyiv. He dreamt of coming to liberated Luhansk one day and bringing Ukrainian broadcasts back up. In 2015, when the area was de-occupied, Dmytro returned and went back straight to work for «Pulse» radio station. At the same time, he was working as a school psychology counselor. The newsman was often invited to the television programs, where he offered advice to the locals.
Dmytro dedicated over 15 years of his life to the radio. He was a radio DJ, music editor, and radio presenter. The listeners of his broadcasts knew him by the name Ivan Lopata.
«Suspilne» was the latest place of Dmytro’s employment. Colleagues remember his professional qualities with gratitude: he taught them how to work with the microphone, how to work with sounds, how to enunciate. «A man who did not have “I can’t” in his vocabulary», said one of Dmytro’s co-workers.
His original program was called «Peremotka» (“Rewind”). It was about Ukrainian hit songs. Dmytro wholeheartedly loved Ukrainian music and did his best to make it more popular. His colleagues say that Dmytro was in absolute command of technical gear, although he had education in humanities arts.
His friends remember that on occasion Dmytro would go to the studio late at night: «Studio is the heart of radio broadcast», he used to say. Dmytro always paid utmost attention to all processes. He deeply cared for the quality of the sound and voice. There were no quarrels in the team around Dmytro — he set an example of patience and self-control. He was reserved, sensible and confident, he knew very well which step followed the previous.
Dmytro’s friends are certain he was an exemplary father. With his parents, he was bringing up his teenage son. Almost everyone who felt his dominant gaze for the first time said «Wow! He’s so stern!» The friends would laugh, for they knew Dmytro was the kindest, most polite and empathetic person out there.
In early March of 2022, Dmytro voluntarily enlisted in the army. First, he fought in Kharkiv Oblast, then in Donetsk Oblast, he’d been defending his country for over a year. He was in hot spots of the frontline most of the time. Dmytro was a sniper in the mechanized battalion. He died under artillery fire in the vicinity of Avdiivka.
Dmytro’s resting place is in Pereiaslav, Kyiv Oblast.
