Who Was Serafim Sabaranskiy? Ukrainian Jew dies in Russian airstrike defending his country

Serafim Sabaranskiy was a proud Jew and son of Ukraine.

The 29-year-old, an active member of the Hillel chapter in his hometown of Kharkiv, saw the war coming early.

As a result, he bought combat gear on Feb. 23, a day before the Russian invasion began, and as soon as the fighting started, he enlisted with the armed forces defending the city.

His brothers who joined him in the war say that he saved several of their lives.

Sadly, Serafim Sabaranskiy was killed in action on Sunday March 13, 2022, as one of the hundreds of Russian missiles fired in recent weeks landed near his position.

Serafim Sabaranskiy displayed his characteristic resolve in a short video interview captured about a week before he died. Armed and dressed in a makeshift uniform, the red-headed Sabaranskiy is seen on a city street speaking to the camera with a response to the assertion by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his forces are seeking to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.

“How can you believe these claims? I’m Jewish, and I’m safe in Ukraine. I don’t need your help. Get out of Ukraine,” Sabaranskiy says in the video, according to a translation by Yuliya Pototska.

Yuliya Pototska is the director of the Hillel in Kharkiv — which was leveled by Russian bombs earlier this month.