Former journalist turned serviceman Stepan Tsymbaliuk killed in combat

Stepan Tsymbaliuk, a former Lutsk-based media professional turned serviceman, was killed in action, the Kamin Kashyrskyi City Territorial Community announced on Facebook.

“The life of our defender was tragically and prematurely cut short as he was performing military service on the burning borders of our state on May 7, 2025. […] We bow to our defender for his deeds. Eternal glory, honor, and memory. May he rest in peace in the Kingdom of God. He forever remains in our hearts and memory,” the Kamin Kashyrskyi City Territorial Community wrote.

Stepan Tsymbaliuk, photo by Kamin Kashyrskyi City Territorial Community on Facebook

Stepan Tsymbaliuk was born in 1992 in Kamin Kashirskyi, Volyn oblast. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Stepan Tsymbaliuk owned a leatherworking business.

Institute of Mass Information representative Maya Holub told the IMI in a comment that she and Stepan Tsymbaliuk were both participants in the project “Developing Investigative Journalism in Rivne and Volyn Oblasts” in 2011. The project was implemented with the support of the United States Agency for International Development through the non-governmental organization Internews Network and the International Renaissance Foundation.

“I did my first ever investigation in a team with Stepan Tsymbaliuk and other colleagues for the website Chetverta Vlada in 2012. The text headlined 'Sell Me Some Dimedrol for Grandpa' was about pharmacies illegally selling medicines without a prescription. While working on the investigation, we visited many Lutsk pharmacies to find out which ones were selling medicines without a prescription and which ones were not. Then this investigation gained traction and other media outlets reposted it. I remember Stepan as a very good person, positive and cheerful,” Maya said.

In 2014, Stepan Tsymbaliuk described himself in the "Stylish Lutsk" column of VolynPost as a “broad-spectrum journalist,” because he combined freelance work with being a TV journalist.

On his Instagram profile, Stepan Tsymbaliuk posted a quote: “It’s better to die running than to live rotting!” (from I. Bahryanyi’s novel “Tiger Hunters”).