Oleksa Byk

Full name – Oleksiy Mykolayovych Byk
Date of birth – December 4, 1980
Place of birth – Sosnytsia (Ukraine)
Language – Ukrainian
Activity – bard, poet, public and cultural figure, military
Genre – bardic song

Artist biography

Oleksiy Byk is a Ukrainian bard and poet, public, political and cultural figure, military serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Oleksiy was born in the urban-type settlement of Sosnytsia, Chernihiv region. Since childhood, he was distinguished by his passion for creativity. Namely, literature.

He began to compose his first poems in his school years. He studied excellently: he graduated from school with a gold medal, won numerous philological and poetic competitions. After graduation, he moved to Kyiv, where he entered the Philological Faculty of the Mykhailo Dragomanov Pedagogical University. Thus, the young man continued his creative path.

Before the revolutionary events of 2013–2014, Oleksa worked as a journalist for Glavkom. In the spring of 2014, he went on a business trip to the already occupied Crimea, from where he made reports. Later, he recalled that he went there with his friends to see the situation with his own eyes and prepare a series of articles. In March 2014, Oleksa's car was stopped in Perekop, and the passengers were forced to lie face down on the ground. The artist considers this moment to be the beginning of his personal war.

In July 2014, as a conscious citizen, Oleksa Byk decided to become a volunteer and went to the front. He fought for some time at the Donetsk airport, but he never called himself a “cyborg”.

Creative path

Not striving to become a star in the music industry, Oleksa Byk still gained recognition and popularity among fans of bardic songs. The owner of poetic talent and bright charisma showed himself in the cultural environment, joining the creation of the artistic project “Songs of War”. The idea of uniting military personnel and artists in a common creative space became a matter of honor. Right on the front line, a whole cycle of compositions dedicated to Ukrainian volunteers was born.

Every year, the number of fans of the author and performer is growing. The artist often performs on the stages of festivals of original and patriotic music, where, along with creativity, he finds a way to support his fellow countrymen. One of the most striking works was the composition "Volunteers of God's Company". Fighters always ask to perform it during meetings, because this song has long been considered the unofficial anthem of the volunteer movement. The popularity of the work was also enhanced by the documentary film of the same name by Leonid Kanter and Ivan Yasny about the defenders of Donetsk Airport.

Social activity

Oleksa Byk is actively involved in the political life of the country, is a member of the National Corps party. In 2020, he became a co-founder of the Anatoly Lupinos literary competition.

With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Oleksa continued his service in the ranks of the defenders, leading the engineering and sapper company of the assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2023, he participated in fierce battles for the city of Bakhmut.