Sergeant Stepan Yeriomenko was killed on May 11, 2022, at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Donetsk region. At 2:30 p.m., while carrying out a combat mission, he came under an enemy airstrike and sustained a fatal blast injury. The defender was 31 years old.
Stepan was born in Mariupol and studied at School No. 51. He graduated from the Mariupol Humanities University with a degree in International Relations. At the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, he defended his hometown and was wounded. Two years later, he became a leading specialist at the Canine Center of the National Police of Ukraine in Mariupol. Since April 2021, he had served as the head of the 1st Canine Group of the Canine Platoon in the 12th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.
“Stepan was my only child. I named him after my father, who, along with my mother, died in a car accident four years before Stepan was born. I told him a lot about them, and he wanted to be like his grandfather. When Stepan was eight, I buried my husband — I raised my son alone. He grew up kind, fair, and responsible, with a great sense of humor that everyone loved. He was always ready to help those in need, and because of that, he had many friends. From childhood, he loved animals, especially cats and dogs — and they felt it. On his way home from school, some cat would always follow him. We always had dogs at home because I’ve been a dog handler for many years. That passion passed on to my son. From the age of 16, he started helping me at the training ground. He attended various canine seminars, became a certified instructor in many areas of training, and was a member of the Canine Union of Ukraine.
Despite having a degree in political science, his heart belonged to the canine field — and I supported that. I was the executive director of the canine branch in Mariupol, and together we achieved great results, organizing events, exhibitions, and competitions,”
— recalled Alla Yeriomenko, Stepan’s mother.
From the first hours of the full-scale invasion, Stepan defended Mariupol. Since April, he had been at Azovstal together with other defenders of the city — and with 14 service dogs.
“The last time I spoke to my son was on May 7. He said: ‘It’s very hard, constant shelling. Since late April, we have had neither food nor water. Everything we had, we shared with the civilians here. The hardest thing is being without water — we collect rainwater. But I’m holding on because I love you all very much.’ He meant me, his wife, and his little daughter, Sofiika. She was born on May 11, 2021. Stepan saw her when she was nine months old. And exactly a year later, on May 11, he was killed. We found out about it at the end of the month — on our own. I started calling the hotline when our prisoners were being evacuated from Azovstal. That’s when they told me Stepan had been killed by an air bomb. His body has not been returned to us…
His beloved dog, Figaro, seemed to sense something before the full-scale invasion — tears would run from his eyes for no reason. Two weeks before Stepan’s death, Figaro followed me everywhere, lying by my feet. I felt constant anxiety, especially in early May. I wanted so much to hold my son tight and never let go. Having a son like mine is every mother’s happiness. Now he is an angel guardian for our little Sofiika,”
— added the defender’s mother.
The warrior was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class.
Stepan is survived by his mother, wife, and daughter Sofia.
🕘 9:00 a.m. — National moment of silence.
The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Heroes Memorial platform honor the fallen defenders from Donetsk region.