Junior Sergeant Mykola Maslov, nicknamed “Kapusta,” died as a result of artillery shelling on May 4, 2022, on the 71st day of the defense of Mariupol. The soldier was 23 years old.
Mykola was born in Mariupol and studied at School No. 11. From childhood, he practiced judo and kickboxing and participated in city competitions. In 2013, he joined the fan movement of the Metalurg football club, and in 2018, he joined the ranks of Azov, where many of his teammates were already serving at that time.
He took part in battles on the Svitlodarsk arc as part of an artillery crew. While serving in the military, he continued to study part-time at the Priazovsk State Technical University.
“I knew Mykola even before the war. We did our internship together at a service station. He was the same then: kind, sincere, always supportive. When we found ourselves together in the KMB, I felt that he was not just an acquaintance — he was a brother for life! We served together in the howitzer division, we were together on the Svitlodarsk arc, we carried out combat missions together, and every time — shoulder to shoulder. “Kapusta” is the soul of our unit,” shared his brother-in-arms ”Burp.”
Mykola met his future brother-in-arms, “Tork,” on the train to Kyiv, when they were on their way to an interview to join the Azov Regiment.
"Why ‘Kapusta’? It's simple: Mykola liked Kyiv sauerkraut so much that it immediately became clear that this would be his nickname. During the KMB, he pushed himself to the limit to become better and stronger,” said Torch. ”In Svitlodarsk, during Azov's full-scale combat operation, Kapustyanich was part of an artillery crew and destroyed the enemy during the fiercest artillery duels. Nikolai had always been a troublemaker, but the full-scale invasion changed him. When we met during one of the missions, I was pleasantly surprised. Since there was no artillery (we became infantry), he fought with an automatic rifle and a grenade launcher. He commanded a group of guys, destroyed equipment, and constantly got into firefights, destroying the enemy.“
”During the heaviest bombing of Mariupol, Mykola found the strength and opportunity to take his family to one of the Azovstal bunkers. He was concussed but continued to fight,” said his brother Igor.
It was impossible to be sad with Mykola — he always had a smile on his face, even when explosions were going off nearby. His jokes cheered up his comrades in the darkest days of the war:
"When the full-scale invasion began, we were again in the same direction. On February 28, we corresponded. Mykola wrote that we would hold out until the end so that everyone would know who the people of Mariupol are. And, of course, he added his trademark joke. We wished each other luck and agreed to meet again. But that meeting never happened... When I found out that Kapusta had died, it was one of the most painful feelings in my life. When such brothers-in-arms leave, it feels like a part of you dies too. Because they weren't just comrades-in-arms — they were my family. And Kapusta was the brightest of us all,” shared his brother-in-arms Burp.
The soldier was posthumously awarded the Orders of Courage III and II degrees.
The soldier's body was cremated in Kyiv on November 17, 2022.
Mykola is survived by his mother, brother, two grandmothers, and uncle.
At 9:00 a.m., there will be a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional State Administration and the Heroes Memorial platform will commemorate the fallen defenders from Donetsk Oblast.