On January 22, while defending Ukraine, Stanislav Prytula, head of the Public Council at the Ukrainian State Film Agency and a prominent film producer, was killed on the front lines, the Agency announced in a Facebook post.

"Stanislav was not only an artist but also a Man with a capital 'M' – sensitive, devoted to his work, and deeply concerned about the world around him," the agency stated.

The agency said that from the war's onset, Prytula took a stand for his country, ultimately sacrificing his life for its future.

"We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and valued Stanislav. His courage, talent, and devotion will remain an example for us," the agency added.

"Every day of this war – both in 2014 and the last three endless years – I took my heart out of my chest and squeezed it tightly in my palm: ‘Hold on. We will get through this. He will survive. Everything will be fine.’ Now, I have ashes in my hand and a terrible emptiness inside.

There is no karma, no gods, no justice. There is only the choice of each of us, the simple decisions of ordinary people, that move this world. Stas had the strength to keep making the right, honest choice, which moved that part of the universe where he lived towards the light," his wife Larysa wrote on Facebook.