Here is the English translation:
Mariupol resident Olena Chernobai was killed on March 11, 2022, in the courtyard of her apartment building while preparing food. A Russian aircraft struck the building with rockets. Her husband, Oleh, was killed alongside her.
Olena Chernobai was 47 years old. She lived with her family in the city’s Central District. The family cared for Oleh’s elderly parents. His father was bedridden, and his mother had severely impaired vision.
“On March 11, a Russian aircraft fired several unguided rockets at the building near whose entrance Oleh and Olena were standing. They were waiting for their son, who was running down from the sixth floor. The entire building shook, and smoke mixed with concrete dust filled the air. One rocket hit an apartment on the fifth floor, turning it into a pile of rubble. Debris fell onto Oleh from above. Another rocket struck a car parked near the entrance. It exploded, and pieces of metal flew in all directions, becoming deadly shrapnel. Our loved ones died from shrapnel wounds,” recalled Hanna, Oleh’s sister.
Olena Chernobai was born in the city of Temryuk, Russian Federation. She earned a law degree from a university in Saint Petersburg, where she met her future husband, Oleh. Together they moved to Ukraine and settled in his hometown of Mariupol.
Olena worked as the director of a real estate agency and as a consultant for cosmetic products. She was sincere, cheerful, and had a wonderful sense of humor.
“She had boundless energy and an incredible love for life. Olena embodied the phrase: ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ She never needed a break. She loved everything she did. She was a source of light and inner strength,” Hanna recalled.
“Olena always looked for the good in people and tried to help whenever she could. She loved sunsets, sunrises, rainstorms, forests, and steppes. But above all else, family was the center of her life. She found inspiration in her husband and son. For them, she built an unshakable fortress of love, adding something new every day to make that fortress warmer and more welcoming. She could have done so much more… We often wondered why Olena and Oleh left us together. Perhaps so they would never have to grieve for one another.”
The couple was laid to rest at the Starokrymske Cemetery.
Olena is survived by her son, parents-in-law, her husband’s sister, and her nephew.
At 9:00 a.m., Ukraine observes a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial platform commemorate the residents of Donetsk region who were killed by Russian forces.