Ihor Horbenko was born on January 13, 1983 in German city of Potsdam to a military family. As a son of an officer, he consciously chose the military profession. He devoted 14 years to the military service, four of them in the SSU.

Ihor graduated from Poltava Military Institute of Communications, he was a high-class specialist in radio and satellite technologies.

He regarded his secondment to the ATO area in Donbas as a personal opportunity to help restore peace in his homeland.

On June 24, 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Horbenko was on board of the MI-8 helicopter as a member of the SSU CSO “A”. The group installed special telecommunications equipment on Mount Karachun near Sloviansk city, Donetsk region, in order to monitor and record violations of the ceasefire in the ATO area.

During takeoff, the helicopter was shot at by terrorists from a portable anti-aircraft missile system. The helicopter crew and members of the group were killed.

For military valour, Lieutenant Colonel Ihor Horbenko was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of III degree (posthumously) by Decree of the President of Ukraine of August 8, 2014.

Ihor is survived by his wife and daughter.