Nazar Tarasovych Matlak «Shtakheta»
- Military rank: Soldier
- Unit: 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade «Magura»
- Position: Driver in a mortar platoon
- State honors: On December 28, 2022, he was awarded the Order «For Courage», III class
Biography
Nazar Matlak was born on August 9, 1991, in the city of Borshchiv, now part of the Borshchiv community of Chortkiv district, Ternopil region, Ukraine.
He studied at the Borshchiv Educational Complex «General Education Institution No. 3 — Roman Andriiashyk Gymnasium».
In 2010, he joined the ranks of the Youth Nationalist Congress. He was a training instructor, quartermaster, organizer, and head of the Kyiv city branch of the MNK.
Shtakheta devoted a major part of his activity to the training of young MNK members. Nazar was one of the initiators and founders of the «Pidpillia» training camp, took part in the «Hurby-Antonivtsi» field game for more than 5 years, and helped organize the «Vidvaha named after Ivan Havdyda» basic training camp for 5 years, as well as the «Povstanska Vatra» jamboree camp in 2015 and the «Course of Free People — Kyiv» camp in 2016.
Even after stepping away from active participation in civic and political activity, Shtakheta was always ready to help the organization. In particular, he was a driver at the “Povstanska Vatra” camp in 2018 and 2019, when the event was held in the city of Unizh.
After school, he entered the National Aviation University in Kyiv, majoring in avionics.
He was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity and was part of the 14th Hundred of the Maidan Self-Defense «Free People». With the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War, he began volunteering.
He worked at the «Ukrainian Publishing Business» publishing house; in 2019—2022, he was a layout designer and technical editor at the «Nash Format» publishing house.
After the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was mobilized into a security company in Kyiv because there were no available places in the Territorial Defense Forces. He carried out tasks protecting the Territorial Recruitment Center in Kyiv. After Russian troops fled from the Kyiv area in May, he transferred to the 54th Hetman Ivan Mazepa Separate Mechanized Brigade as an infantryman and defended the country in the Donetsk direction near Soledar; later, the brigade moved to the Bakhmut direction. At the beginning of winter, Nazar was wounded, and immediately after recovering he continued serving on the front line. For personal courage and selflessness shown in defending the state, he was awarded the Order «For Courage», III class, by Presidential Decree on December 28, 2022. In June 2023, he transferred to the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade «Magura», where he served as a driver in a mortar platoon.
He was killed on June 18, 2023.