Anton “Syf” Gritsai is a fan of the football club “Vorskla” (Poltava), a representative of the team “Crew of Golden Eagle”.
Anton Yurievich Gritsai was born on May 7, 1987 in the city of Poltava. He graduated from the Faculty of History of the Poltava National Pedagogical University named after him. IN. G. Korolenko, where he went after the call of his soul, because above all he loved Ukraine. He was an active football fan, was a member of the ultras community of Poltava club “Vorskla”. He became one of the founders of the ultra group C.O.G.E. He devoted a lot of time to the near-football topic, engaged in martial arts.
Anton Hrytsai took part in the events of the Revolution of Dignity as part of the Poltava Self-Defense. He was one of the authors of the graffiti memorial Nebesnaya Sotni, near the Poltava State Agrarian Academy. In September 2014 he voluntarily joined the Azov Battalion. On the website of the heroic, now the regiment, it is noted that having come to Azov, Anton was in a guard chute, then became a fighter of the first hundred battalion. When “Sif” was transferred to a combat unit, he chose between artillery and infantry. I wanted to take a machine gun, but then there was no free PCM, so he was a shooter. One of his first trips was on duty after the terrorist attack in Mariupol. On January 24, 2015, he saw the “Grades” arrive in the Vostochny neighborhood, which took 31 lives. Anton could not act and wanted to go forward, to go on the offensive.
The brave Poltava ultras died on February 15, 2015 in the village of Shirokino (Volnovsky district of Donetsk region). This happened during the Pavlopil-Shyrokyn offensive operation. Just on the day when the so-called “truce” came. Russian terrorists attempted to break through armored vehicles in Shyrokina. Thanks to the thick fog, tanks and enemy life force entered the village, artillery and mortars worked. The Azovans repelled the attack. Positional confrontation began. By noon, the terrorists continued shelling positions of the Ukrainian battalion with small arms. Towards evening, the Azovites managed to evacuate civilians from Shyrokyne, who remained in the village throughout the entire confrontation. As a result, almost a hundred militants and ten units of armored vehicles were destroyed. Unfortunately, during the fighting, the defenders of Ukraine suffered losses - seven killed and about fifty wounded.
About “Sifa” it was said that he had time to sleep only 15 minutes, because he had one bedroom for two with his friend and they slept in turn. Since dawn there have been street battles with separatists and a company of Ossetians. The first serious street fight for Seif, in which he proved himself brave and disciplined. During the group's retreat to the shelter, he walked last, covering the others, but he did not have time to escape — an enemy VOG broke under Anton's feet.
Anton's memory was honored with a minute of silence at his favorite stadium on March 8, 2015, during the match of the 16th round of the Ukrainian Football Championship “Vorskla” - “Hoverla”. On that day, the players of the Poltava club took to the field wearing black T-shirts with the inscription “Anton “Syf” Gritsai”, and his comrades unfurled a banner with a portrait of Anton on the stand.
On August 15, 2015, a memorial plaque in honor of Anton was solemnly opened on the building of Poltava National Pedagogical University. On the same day in the village of Kruty Bereg, at the stadium “Ltava” a fan tournament was held in memory of Anton Gritsai, in which 16 teams represented the surrounding football communities of the clubs “Vorskla”, “Poltava”, “Shakhtar”, “Chernomorets” took part, as well as department of NGU “Azov”. Later, this phantom tournament became annual and competitions in honor of Anton Gritsai were held annually, until the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
By the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 176/2015 dated March 25, 2015, “for personal courage and high professionalism shown in the protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, he was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the III degree (posthumously).
