Sergeant Roman Kuzin, call signs “Siedoy” and “Hughes,” was killed on March 22, 2022, in Mariupol. He was 41 years old.
Roman was born on September 2, 1980, in Donetsk. From childhood, he loved football and first attended a FC Shakhtar Donetsk match with his father. He studied at School No. 145 and earned a degree as a mechanical technician at a polytechnic college. Later, he worked at a metallurgical plant while simultaneously studying at the Donetsk Institute of Market and Social Policy.
He was a member of the fan collective “City Guard Donetsk,” supporting the team at both home and away matches. He created his own banner design and had several tattoos related to the ultras movement. He invited his beloved Yuliia to the fan sector. During one of the matches, amid a crush, she broke her leg.
“Roma suggested I stay at his place so he could take care of me. That’s how we started living together. Three months later, I found out I was pregnant. We were overjoyed because I had previously been diagnosed with infertility. In 2007 we got married, and that same year our daughter Yaroslava was born,” his wife recalled.
Roman was calm and balanced, a devoted family man and loving father. “He and our daughter had a special bond. They had their own world: he called her princess, and she called him king,” Yuliia said.
In 2014, Roman took part in pro-Ukrainian rallies that were violently dispersed. In early 2015, the family moved to Kharkiv. That same year, he joined the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and in early 2020 transferred to the Azov Regiment, where his friends from the fan movement were serving. He was a rifleman-grenadier and received the medal “For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation” as well as the honorary distinction “Cross of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade.”
He met the full-scale invasion in Mariupol. On April 1, Yuliia was informed that her husband had been killed.
“We often saw Roma at football matches and beyond — in what we called ‘around-football.’ He was always a reliable guy, and everyone knew it. Siedoy, along with the other guys, will forever remain in our hearts. We will not forget them,” said a friend with the call sign Nanaiets.
Siedoy dreamed of opening a family pub with a football fan theme, where people could watch matches and spend time in a cozy atmosphere. He dreamed of traveling the world with his family.
The warrior was posthumously awarded the Order For Courage, 3rd Class. The Tribune of Heroes Foundation invites Siedoy’s family to away matches of the Ukrainian national team to honor fallen fans. His daughter Yaroslava opened one of Shakhtar’s matches by taking the ceremonial first kick.
As of December 2025, the defender’s body has not been found or buried.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
At 9:00 a.m. — a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial of Heroes platform honor the fallen defenders from Donetsk region.