Colonel Kostyantyn “Nelson” Zhuk, a DIU special forces officer and co-founder of the Kyiv-based Plast, has been killed at the front.
The news was reported on Facebook by the DIU’s special unit Brotherhood.
Before the war, Zhuk was a professional soldier, president of the National Association of Motorcyclists of Ukraine, and one of the founders of the Kyiv-based Plast organisation.
During the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), he served as commander of the Harpoon Special Forces Battalion under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and led a counter-sabotage group under the Security Service of Ukraine. He was also known in biker circles as “Polk.”
Despite his advanced age, Zhuk joined the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s Brotherhood battalion at the outbreak of the full-scale war. He oversaw several units responsible for recruiting foreign volunteers and contributed to the defence of Zmiyinyy Island.
Zhuk was killed in Vovchansk while leading an assault group, heroically covering the retreat of his comrades.