Ukrainian artist Marharyta Polovinko killed in combat against Russian forces
Artist, volunteer, and military servicewoman Marharyta Polovinko died on 5 April while fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine, according to an announcement from the Second Mechanized Battalion of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.
“You were never afraid of responsibility, always kept your word and did more than was required of you. You died while performing a combat mission. With dignity. With weapons in your hands,” the battalion wrote in their announcement.
Polovinko will be buried in her hometown of Kryvyi Rih on 11 April, at the Alley of Glory in the central cemetery.
According to Suspilne Culture, Polovinko worked as a volunteer in 2024, evacuating wounded Ukrainian defenders on evacuation transport at the first link of the evacuation chain. She later joined the Second Mechanized Battalion of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.
Born on 24 March 1994, in Kryvyi Rih, Polovinko first studied at the Dnipropetrovsk Theater and Art College in the Faculty of Fine Arts. She later graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, specializing in easel painting.
In an interview with Suspilne, Polovinko shared that she began painting extensively at the beginning of the full-scale invasion when the first news about children’s deaths in Irpin appeared.
“I drew a girl who, like an angel, flies over houses. The girl flies over this ugliness of the world. My first perception of Russians was that they were monsters who came and fought against people,” Polovinko told Suspilne
