Friends of Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin Call on the Public to Attend His Funeral: “Our Team Is Still Inside and Probably Won’t Make It”
Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin, a lone soldier, immigrated from Ukraine six years ago • His teammates said: “He has no one here except his mother and grandfather. Anyone who can attend the funeral will give him the honor he deserves” • They also said of Michael, who fell during the capture of the Beaufort: “He was something you don’t see every day"
Friends of Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin, who was killed last night (Saturday) in a drone attack in southern Lebanon, called on the public to attend his funeral.
Michael was his mother’s only child. They immigrated from Ukraine in 2020 and lived in Ashkelon. One of his teammates said: “Michael was a lone soldier, and he has no one here except his mother and grandfather. Our unit and team are still inside and probably won’t make it to the funeral. I ask that anyone who can make the effort to come and pay him the respect he deserves.”
Netanel, another teammate of Michael’s, shared: “Michael was something you don’t see every day. A hard worker who never complained – and somehow always had a smile on his face. His work ethic was the strongest and most noticeable thing about him. Even when things were hard, uncomfortable, or when he didn’t feel well, he always acted like it was nothing. And truly – everything was small compared to him.”
21-year-old Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin was a fighter in the Givati Commando Unit. He was killed in combat in southern Lebanon as a result of an explosive drone strike. He fell during the broader operation to capture the Beaufort fortress north of the Litani River. Four additional soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident and evacuated to Israel in stable condition.
Michael is the 13th casualty since the ceasefire with Hezbollah was declared in April. The overwhelming majority of the fallen were killed by explosive fiber-optic drones. This is the first time an IDF soldier has been killed in a night-time explosive drone incident.
Michael was killed during the capture of the outpost; his friends remain in Lebanon and will not attend the funeral.
Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam mourned Michael’s death: “Our hearts are broken, and the entire city of Ashkelon grieves and mourns the fall of Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin, a resident of the city, who fell in battle defending the homeland in southern Lebanon. Our deepest condolences. May Michael’s memory be blessed and forever preserved in our hearts.”
Masha Savag, Michael’s teacher, also paid tribute: “There is something impossible to grasp about being a teacher. We meet them as teenagers, and in a moment they become protectors of us all. Michael was the only son of a single mother, her only support and the light of her life. Despite the obvious danger, he made no personal calculations – he insisted on serving in a combat role and being on the front lines.”
“Just last Thursday, while we were preparing for the annual alumni gathering, he wrote in the group chat that he wouldn’t be able to come because he was staying in Lebanon,” she added. “That chilling transition, from an ordinary message from a student to the devastating news of his death in battle, is a wound that will never heal. We salute the fighter and hero who gave everything for the country, and we send a warm embrace, full of sorrow and without consolation, to his broken mother.”