NOVEMBER 26, 1990 — MARCH, 2022
31 YEARS, FILMMAKER
The war found Roman Nezhyborets in Yahidne, a village in Chernihiv region. He was a video technician at a television broadcaster «Dytynets». He had been working there for almost ten years up to that point. He was detained on the premises of his private residence. It happened on March 5. On the day, Roman got in touch with his colleagues asking them to remove him from the work group chats. His mother, Larysa, warned everyone who knew Roman not to call him, for the Russian aggressors had taken hold of his cell phone and demanded passwords. Roman gave them up on a sheet of paper.
Roman was killed solely for his affiliation with the outlet he worked with, for it had actively highlighted the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Roman’s family and friends had been looking for him since the abduction. On April 6, his body was found by the volunteers in a communal grave. Roman was held hostage in the basement where the Russian occupiers had confined him. Later, he was executed. When Yahidne was cleared from the enemy, Roman’s wife, Antonina, was the one to identify the body. Her eyes saw what her heart did not want to believe. With his hands tied behind his back, Roman’s body had multiple firearm wounds. On top of that, he was shot in the back of the head. The last shot most probably. He was executed in cold blood.
Roman started working for «Dytynets» when he was still a student. From broadcasting crew, he later got into editing; he studied to become a video editor, and took over the job. He was fond of fishing, picking mushrooms and berries, other outdoor activities. He passionately described his interests in stories. Him and his colleagues considered an author project in the future.
When the war broke out, Roman became a pro-active volunteer. He helped the military along with his neighbors. Persistent and responsible, reliable and respectable — this is how Roman is remembered by his friends. He is survived by wife and child. His son wants to follow in Roman’s footsteps.
