Pavlo "Bort" Horbach was a fan of the Dynamo Minsk football club and a member of the "Blue-White Will" supporters' group.
Pavlo Mykolaiovych Horbach was born on January 10, 1992, in Minsk, Belarus. He attended School No. 48 and a local college. In his youth, he was an avid cyclist.
He began supporting Dynamo Minsk from the fan stands in the late 2000s. He was a member of the BWW group and maintained good relations with other groups in the movement. His fellow fans recall a time they were driving to a match in Slutsk and were involved in a three-car pileup on the highway near a shop. "At Bort's suggestion, we gave up on the football, pushed the cars behind the shop, and went inside to buy beer. We partied in that village all night and returned home on a tow truck. Pavlo later sent his car to the scrapyard."
During those years, the Belarusian GUBOPiK also attempted to recruit him.
After finishing his studies, he worked at the Minsk Tractor Works. From 2012 to 2015, Pavlo served under contract in the Belarusian army, reaching the rank of sergeant. In Belarus, he was convicted of "non-statutory relations" and served time in a labor colony. Later, while in Ukraine, he stated that he had all the relevant documents and intended to appeal the conviction.
In 2020, Pavlo took an active part in the protests, after which he was forced to leave the country to avoid persecution. He subsequently worked as a long-haul truck driver in Poland.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Pavlo arrived in Ukraine with his friend, Dmytro "Terror" Apanasovich. Together, the Belarusian volunteers participated in the liberation of Irpin in the Kyiv region. Sadly, Dmytro was mortally wounded during the fighting, while Pavlo continued to defend Ukraine in the South and East, taking part in the liberation of Kherson.
"Bort" served as the head of intelligence for the Terror Battalion, which was named in honor of Dmytro and consisted primarily of Belarusians. During his service, he was awarded commendations by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence: the "Ukraine Above All!" medal, the "For Courage in Performing Special Tasks" medal, and the "For Assistance to the Military Intelligence of Ukraine" medal, 2nd class. He was also awarded the "Vayarskaya Adznakay" by the Belarusian Volunteer Corps.
While in the military, he met his future wife, Olena. The couple was expecting their daughter, Sofia, whom Pavlo never got to meet.
A few months before his death, Pavlo Horbach left the Terror Battalion. He carried out combat missions as part of another unit, the Shaman Battalion of the Main Directorate of Intelligence. He fought his final battle on October 24, 2023, in the Sumy direction. He was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd class.
Eternal honor to the Hero!
