Soldier Valerii Tiurin, call sign Hrek (Greek), died on May 1, 2022, near the village of Burlatske in the Volnovakha district. In battle, he sustained fatal injuries as a result of enemy mortar shelling. The defender was 59 years old.
Valerii was born in the village of Velyka Novosilka. In 1980, he graduated from Velykonovosilka School No. 2. He grew up as a positive child, had many friends, loved nature, sports, and his native village. He always remembered his grandmother's stories about his grandfather, who was repressed in 1938. Later, he graduated from Pokrovsk Vocational School No. 5, where he trained as a refrigeration equipment operator.
"We met in the summer of 1981. It was love at first sight. In the autumn, Valerii went to serve in the army, returned in the autumn of 1983, and on December 24, we got married. A year later, our son Serhii was born, and we became an even happier family; we loved each other so much. We spent our vacations together, going to the forest, the sea, and the river. Valerii loved to travel, was fond of fishing and photography, and always had a camera with him. He was a kind, loving, affectionate, and caring husband and father, a friendly and decent friend, helped his parents, and respected and honored them. He loved his entire extended family, nephews, and nieces, and never forgot about them. At home, he did everything with his own hands, was always tinkering with something in the garage, and was very diligent," recalls his widow, Liudmyla.
From 1985, he lived with his family in the city of Myrnohrad. He worked at Mine 5/6 and later at the Krasnolymanska mine. In 2011, he suffered a myocardial infarction, underwent stenting, and received Group III disability status.
"A great joy in our family was our son's marriage in 2007, which gave us a daughter-in-law. An even greater happiness was the birth of our grandson in 2011 and granddaughter in 2017. Valerii spent a lot of time with them; every summer we went on holiday together, and he was passionate about the Ukrainian Carpathians. He was a great patriot of his Motherland, proud of it, and always told everyone: 'You will hear about our Ukraine yet!'" adds the woman.
On February 26, 2022, Valerii volunteered for the Territorial Defense Forces. He served as a rifleman in the 109th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On March 1, he was already on the frontline. He took part in battles near his native Velyka Novosilka when the enemy launched an offensive from Mariupol and Volnovakha. After an exhausting breakout from encirclement on April 18, he ended up in a hospital in Zaporizhzhia. On April 29, having recovered slightly and gathered his strength, he returned to his 105th Battalion, as he could no longer imagine life without his brothers-in-arms.
"It was a brave and deliberate decision. Days and nights dragged on waiting for a phone call, as connection wasn't always available. Conversations were short: 'How are you? Everything is fine with me. Take care of yourselves! I love you very much! Everything will be fine! We will win! Glory to Ukraine!' Our home became empty... Nothing can compare to this loss. We are all suffering deeply and missing our granddad. We will never forget our Hero-defender! We will never forgive our enemies!" his family notes.
Posthumously, the warrior was awarded the Order "For Courage", 3rd Class.
Valerii was buried at the Ozerka cemetery in Myrnohrad.
At home, the defender was awaited by a loving family: his wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter.
At 9:00 AM — the national minute of silence. Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial of Heroes platform honor the fallen defenders from Donetsk Oblast.