A funeral was held in Lviv for Olena Rybalko, a former UPA liaison officer

The funeral of Olena Rybalko—a former liaison officer for the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) who was 109 years old—took place in Lviv. She was the oldest resident of Ukraine.

It is reported that the farewell ceremony and funeral service took place at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Olena Kyrylivna Rybalko was laid to rest in the family crypt at the Yaniv Cemetery.

Olena Rybalko was born on June 2, 1917, in the Vinnytsia region, where she later received a medical education.

Her father, Kirilo Rybalko, was a soldier in the Ukrainian People’s Republic and a founder of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. In 1937, he was executed by an NKVD troika for activities aimed at reviving the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church. Her mother—the last surviving member of the Ukrainian branch of the Potocki family—died during World War II.

Olena Rybalko survived the Holodomor of 1932–1933. In 1946, she moved to Lviv, where she dedicated her life to medicine. She served as chief physician at the Pustomyty District Hospital; among her patients were prominent figures in Ukrainian culture, science, and the church, including Dmytro Pavlychko, Ivan Krypiakevych, and Yosyp Kladochny.

“During those difficult times, she did not stand aside from the Ukrainian people’s struggle for freedom. Olena Kyrylivna provided medical care to Ukrainian insurgents and performed surgeries in the hideouts of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, risking her own life to save others,” the city council emphasized.

Olena Rybalko passed away on October 9 at the age of 110.

This was reported by the Lviv City Council.

A former UPA liaison officer has died in the Ternopil region.

As a reminder, a 100-year-old UPA liaison officer from the Carpathian region has passed away.

Maria Volochanska, a former UPA liaison officer, died in the Carpathian region.