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'I want to earn victory’.' Story of Kateryna 'Meow' Troyan, who traded IT for the trenches

'I want to earn victory’.' Story of Kateryna 'Meow' Troyan, who traded IT for the trenches Kateryna "Meow" Troyan (photo: commons.wikimedia.org/BABENKO_Anton)

Kateryna "Meow" Troyan traded a successful career in the IT sector for the controls of an FPV drone. In nearly a year and a half of service with the 82nd Brigade, she became a highly skilled operator, carrying out over a thousand missions. She first targeted the enemy near Vovchansk, then on the Kursk and Pokrovsk fronts. The latter would ultimately become her last.

On June 5, 2025, during a combat mission, Kateryna suffered severe injuries. She died the next day in a hospital in Dnipro. She was only 32 years old. A farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv, where people shouted, "Honor and glory to our heroine." Her family and friends have launched a petition to award her the title of Hero of Ukraine, and the signature campaign is still ongoing.

"Kateryna stormed into my life like a whirlwind and changed me. She was a woman with a difficult past who made her life meaningful. Her motto was 'Happiness is a choice.' She even had it tattooed on herself," says Kateryna’s beloved, former soldier Oleksii "Gagarin" Dukh.

Below are Oleksii's words — his memories of Kateryna.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронту
Kateryna "Meow" Troyan (Photo: Instagram/aleshagagarin)

Love in the shadow of war

We met online in 2023. I liked her Tinder profile because of a funny line in her bio: "My psychologist told me to go on dates, so here I am." We matched. The first thing Kateryna wrote to me was: "I like your eyes, but even more—I like what you do." Back then, I was a soldier. And from that message, everything between us started very quickly.

The war itself influenced how our relationship developed—it's that moment when you try to find something good around you, to build something, and make the most of every second. And, of course, Kateryna herself had a big impact with her vibrant and fiery personality.

We didn't have much time to spend together, but whenever we did, it was dynamic, interesting, and full of variety. I would come to Kyiv from time to time, and we'd use every minute we had to see each other. When I spent a month and a half in training in the capital, we were together almost the whole time—even took a trip to the Carpathians.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронту

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронту

Kateryna and Oleksii (Photo: Instagram/aleshagagarin)

"I want to earn victory"

Kateryna worked as a QA tester at an international IT company. She was bright, very sociable, and had many interests: she snowboarded, loved the mountains, and even hiked up Mount Ararat. She had a great taste in music and constantly shared new tracks with her friends.

At the start of the war, she went to stay with her aunt in Egypt, then moved to Hungary. But she couldn't just watch from abroad as things unfolded in Ukraine—so she came back. She was deeply afraid of explosions; they caused her immense stress. Yet despite that, she decided to stay.

Aside from her job, she volunteered—helping friends from her snowboarding community who had joined the army. But she felt it wasn't enough and wanted to be even closer to the fight.

Her decision to join the military didn't come suddenly—it built up over time. Sometimes she'd joke: "I'll at least become a clerk at the HQ, just to do something more." She had a strong but sensitive nature, and the army is a harsh environment, so I tried to talk her out of it.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронту

Kateryna "Meow" Troyan began training as an FPV drone operator in the spring of 2023 and later joined the 82nd Brigade (Photo: Instagram/aleshagagarin)

In the spring of 2023, she told me she was going to train as an FPV drone operator and choose a unit. Honestly, I thought she might not like the training and would drop it. I didn’t want to accept that she’d go to war. But there was no stopping her—if Kateryna wanted something, no one could change her mind.

She got the callsign "Meow" during training—there was always something feline about her. (One theory says it was because she wore hats with cat ears - Ed). Katya wanted to join my unit, but I knew that would be a bad idea—I’d worry too much, and it would affect my work. So she went to a drone unit in the 82nd Brigade, where her friend served.

She didn’t tell me much about the hardest moments at the front—but as a soldier, I understood what it was like. She had tough missions during the Kursk offensive. It was mentally and physically exhausting: working for hours on end, dealing with the loss of comrades.

Kateryna once wrote about her motivation: "I want to earn victory, to be a direct developer of the ‘Ukraine’ project together with the best, most nationally conscious team."

Her photo was chosen for the "Women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine" project, presented in London by General Valerii Zaluzhnyi himself. Journalists wrote that "Meow" had made a thousand drone sorties—but no one actually counted. What I know is that Kateryna was an incredibly effective operator—I saw her strike videos. She was focused: when she committed to something, she gave it her all.

In just a year and a half of service, she became not only a skilled pilot but also an electronics expert—she learned to solder and assemble equipment from scratch. Even during rest periods, she spent time preparing, buying new gear, and testing it.

Kateryna carried a lot on her shoulders for the unit—the army has many older soldiers who struggle with new tech, and her IT background allowed her to reflash drones and handle all the tech tasks. She did that tirelessly.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронту

Kateryna "Meow" Troyan’s photo showcased in London at the “Women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine” exhibition (Photo: wikipedia.org User BABENKO Anton)

Farewell letter

In two years of being together, we didn't spend much time in person, but we communicated a lot online. I really miss those conversations. We were always connected; thanks to our messages, we had a constant presence in each other's lives.

It was through a message that I learned tragedy had struck. On Thursday morning (June 5 - Ed), I wrote to Kateryna, but there was no reply for a long time. In the afternoon, I texted her again but saw that the message hadn't been delivered—a very bad sign, because her dugout always had Starlink and internet. I called her commander, and he told me that she had been critically wounded and was being urgently transported from Kramatorsk to Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro.

I immediately rushed to her. I never could have imagined this might be the last chance to say goodbye. I thought: we have good opportunities and connections, we’ll treat her here, send her abroad for rehabilitation, we’ll pull her through.

At 12:20 the next day, Kateryna's heart couldn't withstand all the resuscitation efforts, and she died. The doctors did everything they could.

I had no premonition of her death—only a vague worry, because I knew where she was and understood that something could happen. But I constantly pushed those thoughts away.

A few months before her death, Kateryna left an envelope with my brother's wife, asking her to give it to me if something happened to her.

Probably, she didn’t have any bad feelings either. She left the farewell letter because at that time things were tough—several comrades had been killed one after another. She understood what could happen.

We even joked about death when I was still in the military and she was a civilian—about how it might make sense to learn how to write wills and leave instructions for burial. But at the same time, she never actually did that—I think she didn't have dark thoughts.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронтуOn the eve of her death, Kateryna left a farewell letter for Oleksii (Photo: Instagram/aleshagagarin)

In memory of Kateryna

I always perceive the world in two dimensions: the emotional and the rational. Rationally, I understand that nothing can be changed anymore, but emotionally—it's hard. I haven't been able to accept and come to terms with it yet.

Kateryna and I often talked about mutual friends who had been killed. About who among them was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine. I believe that fallen defenders should have a separate award that doesn't depend on collecting signatures. Because some have many friends and can get the title thanks to them, while others fought devotedly, but few people know about them.

Kateryna had many plans for life after the war: from rebuilding Ukraine and turning it into a powerful state to starting a family and having children. She wanted to stay and live in Ukraine.

For me, the most important thing is that she remains in my memory and the memory of relatives and friends. She is remembered by acquaintances at events she was connected to. I'm sure that friends from the snowboard community do this when they meet.

Kateryna's death should be a reminder to all of us that we have no right to stop and must finish this war with victory. When you lose someone close, you understand the price of the future much more deeply.

Kateryna is the embodiment of our Ukraine, of our struggle. She gave her life for the country. Her story combines two sides: a sweet, vibrant girl who knew how to enjoy life, and another side—a true warrior. It may sound lofty, but she was a real Ukrainian.

"Хочу заслужити перемогу": історія полеглої Каті "Мяу" Троян, яка покинула ІT заради фронтуRelatives and friends have launched a petition to award Kateryna "Meow" Troyan the title of Hero of Ukraine (Photo: Instagram/aleshagagarin)