Volodymyr Tolkin was a grenade launcher operator in the mechanized battalion of the 93rd Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, holding the rank of senior soldier.

He was born on July 19, 1985 in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro). Volodymyr Tolkin graduated from a secondary school in Dnipropetrovsk.

In the spring of 2014, he was conscripted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There, Volodymyr Tolkin served as a grenade launcher operator in the mechanized battalion of the 93rd Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (military unit A1302, Cherkaske urban-type settlement, Novomoskovsk District, Dnipropetrovsk Region).

Since spring-summer 2014, he has been participating in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine.

On August 1, 2014, the unit, which included Senior Soldier Tolkin, was ordered to capture a separatist stronghold in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk Region, by force. The military was stationed at the headquarters, and within a few hours, the separatists discovered their location and launched an attack with mortars and small arms. One of the shells exploded beneath Senior Soldier Tolkin’s feet, causing fatal injuries. He died on the battlefield.

He was laid to rest at the Livoberezhne Cemetery in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro).

Volodymyr Tolkin was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, Third Grade, on November 14, 2014.

He was survived by his parents, wife, and daughter.