Born on August 2, 1991 in Khabarovsk. In 2001, he moved to Chuguiv with his parents. After graduating from the 9th grade of Chuguiv comprehensive school No. 7, he studied at the Chuguiv Professional Agrarian Lyceum, where he received a specialty as an electric welder. During his studies at the lyceum, Valery simultaneously studied at the Kharkiv Institute of Management Personnel, which he graduated in 2011. After graduating, he worked at the V. O. Malyshev Plant as a junior specialist. At the age of 19, he got married and had two children: a daughter and a son. Later, the marriage broke up.
The full-scale war changed Valery's life. From the first minutes of the war, he and his comrades - activists from the city - began to organize volunteer activities. A shelter was equipped in the basements of the former ChZTA plant, which Chuguiv activists helped people with on a voluntary basis. Valery took the most active part in this volunteer work in providing the city's residents with humanitarian aid. There he met his future wife, whom he officially married in October 2025.
In September 2022, he left for the city of Stryi, Lviv region. There he worked as a welder at a plant manufacturing solid fuel boilers.
In May 2025, he was called up for mobilization by the Stryisky RTCC and the Joint Service of the Lviv region and sent to receive basic combined arms training to the 199th training center, which is intended for training, retraining and advanced training of personnel for military units and divisions of the airborne assault forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a place of deployment in the city of Zhytomyr. After his graduation, he continued his military service as part of the 82nd separate airborne assault Bukovyna brigade (82nd ODShBr) of the 8th airborne assault corps as a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operator of the 2nd platoon of strike unmanned aviation complexes of the unmanned systems company of the 2nd airborne assault battalion. During his service, he was wounded. After treatment at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Hospital for War Veterans, he returned to the unit and continued to defend Ukraine with his faithful comrades.
Circumstances of death:
On February 4, 2026, at about 3:50 a.m., while performing a combat mission as assigned, namely while traveling on an armored personnel carrier M1126 "STRYKER", near the settlement of Tsehelne, Sinelnyky district, Dnipropetrovsk region, contact with him was lost as a result of being hit by an enemy kamikaze drone (FPV type). That is, he did not return after completing the combat mission. His comrades managed to pick up Valery's body only a few days later.
Here is what his wife Olena says about Valery and the circumstances of his death: «On 02/06/2026, I was notified that my husband had gone missing while performing a combat mission in the village of Tsehelne, Sinelnyky district. I couldn’t believe it, I really wanted it to be a mistake. But it really was. Before this notification, I had already communicated with his comrades, who were carrying Valery’s body from the place of death. As early as three o’clock on February 04, Valery was sending me the appropriate emoticons, and in the morning, when he didn’t get in touch, I started calling his comrades. Only on 02/05/2026 was I able to contact his comrades, who told me that their crew had been attacked by a drone and Valery had died instantly. On 02/25/2026, Valery’s body was brought to the city of Stryi. In the Church of St. A daily memorial service was held for Volodymyr and Olga in the city of Stryi.
Valery Linnikov was buried with full military honors on February 26, 2026 in the city of Stryi, Lviv region, on the Alley of Memory.
The defender is survived by his father, mother, brother, sister, wife, and two children from his first marriage: son Maksym and daughter Yevheniya.
Memories of his wife: "Valera was remembered by me, his friends and comrades as cheerful, cheerful. He never got sad and believed in the soonest end of the war. When visiting home, he didn't even sleep for the first day, worried about his comrades, and was in constant contact with them. As a man, he was a romantic, a loving and reliable shoulder for both me and his stepson, whom he was proud of and called his "son". He always remembered the first days of the war, his volunteer activities in the volunteer group "Bunker". When visiting the city of Chuguiv, many people recognized him and thanked him for his support and care. To this day, Valery and his colleagues in the volunteer group "Bunker" remember him with kind words and say that he was reliable and honest. He was entrusted with the most important parts of this work. He never said that it was hard for him, but I saw his fatigue and tried to help in some way. "Yes, as sad as it may be to say, the war brought our destinies together. I met him in the most difficult days and supported him and believed in him until the end.".