Born on September 2, 1998 in the city of Chuguiv, Kharkiv region. During 2004–2013, he studied at secondary school No. 8, and in 2015 he graduated from secondary school No. 7 in the city of Chuguiv. After graduating from school, he went to work, and when he turned 18, he was drafted into military service, which he served in one of the military units in the city of Kharkiv. After being discharged to the reserve, Yuriy returned to the city of Chuguiv and continued to work as a handyman in the private sector.
With the beginning of a full-scale war, his family evacuated from the city, and in May 2022 he left for Lutsk, where he was drafted by the Lutsk DEC and SP into the Armed Forces of Ukraine upon mobilization. After mobilization, he underwent training in the city of Kyiv, mastered the military profession of a sniper and served in one of the sniper companies. Later, at his request, he was sent to study for another military profession related to the control and maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicles. Upon completion of the training, Yuriy was sent to serve in the 118th separate mechanized brigade as an external pilot (operator) of unmanned aerial vehicles of the 1st detachment of strike unmanned aerial vehicles of the 1st platoon of strike unmanned aerial vehicles of the 1st company of strike unmanned aerial vehicles of the battalion of unmanned systems.
In early 2024, Yuriy was wounded. He underwent treatment and rehabilitation in the city of Kharkiv. After recovering, he returned to his unit, where he continued to perform combat missions.
Yuriy Drofa is survived by his mother and younger sister. He did not have time to start his own family.
Circumstances of death:
On June 7, 2024, the unit where Yuriy Drofa served was performing a combat mission in the Zaporizhia direction, where he monitored, collected and analyzed information, and also provided operational support for the brigade's military operations. The enemy fired on the unit's position in the area of the settlement of Robotyne. Yuriy Drofa received explosive injuries incompatible with life. On June 14, 2024, a funeral service for soldier Yuriy Drofa was held in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the city of Lutsk. Yuriy Drofa was buried in the military burial sector at the city cemetery in the village of Garazdzha.
