He was born in 1985 in the village of Voronizh, Sumy region.

He received his medical degree from the Bogomolets National Medical University in 2008. He specialised as a general practitioner. He served in the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the 93rd Guards Separate Mechanised Brigade.

In early 2014, during the Russian annexation of Crimea, he came to the military registration and enlistment office to enlist as a volunteer, but was refused. In September of the same year, Roman was drafted into the Armed Forces to defend eastern Ukraine. Almost every day, he evacuated the wounded and dead from Donetsk airport, Avdiivka, Pisky, Vodiane, Opytne and other hotspots.

The lives of about 600 servicemen were saved thanks to Roman's professionalism and timely provision of qualified medical care, colleagues say.

In 2015, Roman received the public award "People's Hero of Ukraine".