Alexander “Vegas” Babak is a fan of the Sumy football club, a representative of the team “Gentlemen”.

Alexander Yurievich Babak was born on July 25, 1994 in the city of Sumy. He studied at Sumy specialized school No. 9, after the 4th grade he continued his studies in specialized school No. 8, and after graduating from it he received higher education at Sumy State University, where he received a diploma of specialist in management and economics. Being very active and restless since childhood, he later decided to direct his energy into sports. He started with mixed martial arts, pankration, working in the sports club “Sparta”. He repeatedly participated in competitions, where he took prize places.

Alexander entered the fan sector of the main team of the city as a 13-year-old (2008). He was at the origin of the fan and football movements of Sumy and fervently supported the team for 13 years. In 2012, the team “Gentlemen” was created, which for some time actively manifested itself in fights with fans of other teams. In the history of the team there were different times, so at some stage Alexander and his teammates had to fight for the existence of the club.

Friends from the fan movement recall one of the hooligan stories, when after a difficult meeting with an opponent in the city of Kiev, in search of water, Alexander went to the institution and asked where to get water. To which he was answered: “Son, this is a morgue, we have other services here.”

In civilian life, he worked abroad for some time, leaving due to circumstances immediately after graduating from the 1st year of the university. However, later he decided to return and stay in his homeland.

In 2012, Alexander met his future wife Inna, with whom they built a family and dreamed of the future, their own home and three children. In the summer of 2021, they had a daughter, Ulyana, incredibly similar to her father.

He also forgot about the sport, which he was fond of since his youth. He regularly maintained himself in good sports shape, and later opened his own sports club “Azgard” - a hall for mixed martial arts. He had a lot of ambitious plans for the future. He was the soul of the company in the circle of friends, together with whom they enjoyed an active and extreme vacation.

In 2020, he ran for deputies to the Sumy City Council from the “Right Sector”. In Sumy, Alexander led an active public activity, defended the rights of people and actively fought against injustice at various levels: against illegal buildings, increased prices for public transport, fought against drug lords.

With the outbreak of a full-scale war, “Vegas” came into arms. Together with other fans and members of nationalist organizations, he participated in the defense of the Kiev region as part of a volunteer formation, after which he was mobilized to the ranks of the Armed Forces. In the future, he participated in the Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk campaigns.

Already after the invaders retreated from his hometown, giving an interview to one of the channels, Alexander said that the Jubilee Stadium occupies a special place in his life, because it was here that he spent half his life, cheering for FC “Sumy”. This place gave him strength and inspiration to fight in the most difficult moments.

Alexander Babak died on September 10, 2023 while performing a combat mission in the area of the Serebryansky forest near Kreminna (Luhansk region). He was buried on the Alley of Glory of the Novo-Central Baranovsky cemetery.

On November 17, 2023, Alexander Babak was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City of Sumy” (posthumously). On June 13, 2024, on the facade of the building opposite the Jubilee Stadium in Sumy, a memorial plaque was opened in honor of a devoted fan who supported the team of his hometown for many years.

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