On February 28, 2022, journalist and activist Dilerbeq Shakirov was killed near the village of Zelenivka in the Kherson region.
Since 2008, Dilerbeq had been covering Ukrainian political processes for the Kherson media outlet Dovkola Tebe. He articulated his aim to be communicating complicated matters to his readers in simple terms.
Shakirov was also an entrepreneur, volunteer, and social activist in his native city of Kherson. In 2012, he co-founded the Union of Organizations of Disabled People in the Kherson Region, an NGO that got people with disabilities involved in sporting activities and competitions. Dilerbeq was also a member of the House of Hope Charity Foundation.
“He supported our organization financially. He was an honest and straightforward man in an oriental manner. Dilerbeq always kept his word. I never had any doubt that he would be engaged in each of our activities. He had an understanding of disabled people and enjoyed playing with kids,” says Serhii Royko, the founder of the Union of Organizations of Disabled People in the Kherson Region.
In 2014-2015, Dilerbeq Shakirov participated in the self-defense of Kherson. After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces. On February 26, 2022, Dilerbeq was killed while defending his city from the Russian army. His family stayed in completely Russian-occupied Kherson.
Dilerbeq Shakirov was 38 years old.
