Ihor Kostenko

Ihor Ihorovych Kostenko (, ; 31 December 1991 – 20 February 2014) was a Ukrainian journalist, student activist and Wikipedian killed during the Euromaidan events.

Biography

Ihor Ihorovych Kostenko was born in Zubrets, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. He was raised by his grandparents, as his parents worked primarily in Saint Petersburg. As a child he attended Saint Josaphat Buchatskiy, a Ukrainian Catholic parochial school in Buchach. He had one sister, Inna.

Kostenko received his bachelor's degree in 2013 and was a first-year graduate student in geography at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, in Western Ukraine. His thesis was the development of the tourism industry in Buchach.

He was also a regular contributor to the Ukrainian Wikipedia under the nickname Ig2000, creating more than 280 articles on aviation, economics, football and other subjects. Kostenko's article on the Soviet destroyer Nezamozhnik was recognised with the "Good Article" rating.

The day after his death, Kostenko's friend Yuriy Muryn recalled his last communications with Kostenko. "He just called me yesterday and I didn't hear it ring. I called him back today and he didn't answer. I just can't comprehend it," Muryn said. "And during the first riots on Hrushevskoho he sent me his girlfriend's phone number, saying: 'Tell her that I love her, if something happens.' I thought he was joking, but when riots broke out again, he asked: 'Do you remember about my request?'" Kostenko and six other victims from Euromaidan were mourned on 23 February at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv.

Legacy On 21 November 2014, together with the other activists killed during Euromaidan, Kostenko was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine," the highest national award a Ukrainian citizen can earn.

Kostenko was also named 2014 Wikipedian of the Year. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced the award during the 2014 Wikimania Conference in August in London. Wales presented the award to Kostenko's sister, Inna, in September in Kyiv.

The magazine of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine posthumously named Kostenko "Student of the Year." The auditorium at Lviv University was renamed the "Ihor Kostenko Memorial Auditorium" in his honour. An additional plaque was installed at his high school, Saint Josaphat Buchatskiy.