Denis “Skipper” Kotenko is a fan of the football club “Dnipro”, a representative of the team “Perspective 14".

Denis Valerievich Kotenko was born on May 18, 1996 in the city of Dnipro. From an early age, his father, who was professionally involved in football, began to drive his son to the stadium. Denis adored football and wanted to play by himself, but could not because of bronchial asthma. Meanwhile, already in high school, he began to go to the fan sector “Dnipro” where he found real friends, with whom he attended home and away matches, as well as fought a lot, defending the honor of his club.

He joined the subsequently created team “Perspective 14”, which was considered to be the younger generation of the already well-known senior comrades from “MiD” throughout the country. Parents were not delighted with their son's football hobbies, but to force the freedom-loving boy to leave the movement - it was impossible to dream.

At the same time, Denis studied well at school, and after her graduation in 2013 he was able to enter the Dnieper National University on a budget. Olesya Gonchara. Choosing between political science and history - he chose the second discipline, because he was interested and studied everything related to the past of our State. In parallel with this, Skipper took the first steps to music. Here, too, his sincere admiration for the history of Ukraine and patriotic beliefs played a big role.

Having developed a talent for writing lyrics, the talented Dnipryanin became known throughout the country, precisely as an author and performer of songs. Written in 2012, the composition “Kneeling in front of Ukraine”, became an unambiguous hit among the domestic fan community, quickly going beyond the exclusively ultra scene. Music completely captivated Denis and his friend Roman Gromov - co-author of many texts. Together, they created about three hundred texts, many of which every Ukrainian fan knew at one time, listening to them in the player during the long hours on the way to the away match of their favorite team. Most of them were dedicated to the native club, the city, and also aroused patriotic feelings.

Denis met the Revolution of Dignity in the first year of the university. He did not finish the next school year. That year, many fans of “Dnipro” came to the defense of the Motherland, taking up arms. One evening in November 2014, Skipper said at home that he would perform in one of the city's clubs, but instead went with his friends to the capital to join the Azov battalion at the time. Parents tried to refuse their son, and even went to Kiev, but he remained steadfast in his decision. As a volunteer, he participated in the battles for the liberation of the s. Shyrokynyo.

After returning from the front in the summer of 2015, he resumed part-time study at the university. In his hometown, he took care of active public activities within the Azov Civil Corps. He was awarded the Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for special achievements of young people in the development of Ukraine. Later he moved to Kyiv where he lived with his wife and son. The last six months before the start of a full-scale war, Denis worked in the press service of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, where he was responsible for writing preparation, editing and distribution of content, wrote articles for social networks of the department.

Colleagues recall that in the winter of 2022, Denis predicted a great war, as well as the inevitability of the battle for Kiev. When the Russians launched a full-scale invasion, Dnepryanin took his family abroad and began evacuating people. A week later, he told colleagues that he was going to take up arms.

Among the many options open to a person with combat experience in the East, he chose Azov for the second time, where, as in the mid-10s, there were a large number of representatives of fan movements. Denis Kotenko died on March 24, 2022 in the battle for the liberation of the village. Lukyanovka in Kyiv region. During a tank duel, his anti-tank calculation tried to destroy an enemy car, but was hit by a tank on their position. Along with the Skipper, another well-known publicist in nationalist circles, Sergei “Deimos”, died.

The farewell ceremony was held at the Baikovo cemetery in the capital. After that, the urn with the ashes of the brave Warrior was taken by friends and brothers to the Dnipro-Arena. We made a circle of honor around the field, sat for the last time in the fan sector at the places where they watched the matches together. The burial took place at the Krasnopil cemetery in Dnipro.

The news of the death of Skipper shocked the entire fan community, because many loved his lyrics and tracks, even without being personally acquainted. There is no doubt that Denis's creative achievements will live on, inspiring more than one generation of patriotic youth to great achievements. On June 6, 2022, he was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the III degree (posthumously).