Taras Kostanchuk

Taras Dmytrovych Kostanchuk (Тара́с Дми́трович Костанчу́к; born 9 March 1964) is a Ukrainian public activist.

Taras was born on 9 March 1964, in the city of Komunarsk, Voroshilovgrad Oblast, the Ukrainian SSR (now known as Alchevsk, Luhansk Oblast) in a family of thermophysicists.

His mother is from Vinnytsia Oblast, whereas his father is from Kherson Oblast.

Taras lived in Kyiv since he was 3 years old.

In 1981, Taras graduated from Kyiv .secondary school No. 200 where he studied mathematics.

After school, he entered the Kyiv Medical College No.3.

From 1982 to 1984, Taras served in the Soviet Army in Grozny, Chechnya.

From 1985 to 1988, he studied at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Department of Biology).

In 1989, Taras went to Italy, where he lived and worked until 1998.

In 1998, he returned to Ukraine, accepting his friend's proposal to take over the post of general director of CJSC “Agro-Transport Coordination Service” (ZAT “Ahro-transportna koordynatsiina sluzhba”).

From 2003 to 2008, Taras studied law at the Kyiv National University of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

In 2005, Taras Kostanchuk, together with his comrades, founded a public organization "Archaeological Patriotic Search Association "Dnipro-Ukraine", which was engaged in the search and reburial of the remains of World War II soldiers. The organization actually operates ion the territory of the Kyiv Oblast. The organization, for 7 years of its existence, recorded more than 800 soldiers, identified 106 names, and organized 17 mass and 11 single reburials.

Under the direction of Taras Kostanchuk, the searchers created a large stationary museum of military archaeology in Kyiv and 10 museums in secondary schools throughout Ukraine.

There are more than 5000 items in museums; 1774 units of explosives objects were transferred to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine for elimination.

Since 2007, he runs his legal practice as an entrepreneur.

During the Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014) Taras was on Maidan Nezalezhnosti from the first days.

As one of the oldest participants, Taras frequently had to take command and coordinate the actions of the activists.

He is the leader of the civil organization "Military-Patriotic Association of the ATO participants "Justice" and the former commander of the assault group of the volunteer battalion “Donbas” (2014). He is a former candidate for president of Ukraine and a candidate for the People's Deputies of Ukraine. He was demobilized in the spring of 2015.

On the night of February 19, 2014, he held a line along with other patriots, which became a shield against fire engines with water jets.

The same day, Taras Kostanchuk received a blast injury and had his leg wounded due to a grenade explosion.

In May 2014, Taras Kostanchuk went to Donbas with his personal weapons, where he joined the so-called “men in black” who opposed the militiamen in several districts of the Donetsk Oblast.

From June 1, 2014, he arrived to the training base, in the village of Novi Petrivtsi (Kyiv Oblast), in order to train volunteers – who prepared to go to the ATO area.

In early July 2014, after three weeks of training, Taras Kostanchuk joined a volunteer battalion "Donbas", and went with his comrades to the combat zone near Artemivsk.

On the first night in the ATO area, the recruits of the battalion “Donbas”, being at the temporary base of the battalion in the Artemivsk school, fell under the tight fire of the enemy.

Under the command of Taras Kostanchuk they managed to repel the fire and defend their positions without loss.

Reflecting on the night attack of militants, the fighters of the battalion “Donbas” took active steps to liberate Artemivsk from terrorists, built checkpoints in and outside of the city, and prepared a cleansing operation.

In July 2014, Taras Kostanchuk as the commander of the assault group of the battalion “Donbas” with his comrades conducted the operations to liberate the Ukrainian cities of Popasna, Lysychansk, and Pervomaisk.

On 10 August 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine along with the fighters of the battalions “Donbas”, “Azov”, “Shakhtarsk” and “Right Sector” began an operation to liberate the city of Ilovaisk.

General Ruslan Khomchak was planning the operation together with the commanders of the battalions.

Kostanchuk also participated in the planning of the liberation.

The main task was to liberate Ilovaisk completely from terrorists and to take the city.

The minimum goal was to conduct the "developing attack" to get information about the enemy forces.

That task was fulfilled during the first entry in Ilovaisk on August 10, 2014.

It was found that the enemy was well-positioned.

The volunteer battalions needed reinforcement.

On 18 August 2014, the fighters of the battalion “Donbas” entered with heavy fighting in Ilovaisk and were able to knock out terrorists from the eastern part of the city.

During the battles, 3 checkpoints and 4 enemy firing points were destroyed.

Until the morning of the 19th, the ATO forces took control over most of the city.

On 19 August, during a combat task, Taras Kostanchuk, having been seriously injured in his head and with a blast injury, got encircled by the enemy in the center of Ilovaisk.

Together with a comrade who was seriously injured in the leg, Taras went hiding in a resident's house for 3 weeks.