Soldier Yevhen Maltsev was killed on March 1, 2025, in Dnipropetrovsk region during formation on the parade ground of a training center — a Russian missile struck the site. He was 46 years old.
Yevhen was born on September 21, 1978, in the city of Pokrovsk. Since childhood, he had a great love for cars. He received a secondary technical education and went to work in mine construction. He worked there for 18 out of the 20 years required for a miner: after sustaining a workplace injury, he was no longer allowed to do heavy underground work, only surface jobs.
In 2020, Yevhen signed a contract and joined the army. He served in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region. After demobilization at the very beginning of 2021, he took a job at Nova Poshta’s Kharkiv terminal.
“After the mine, working at the terminal seemed much easier — the conditions were good, and there was respect for people. He liked it; he said he wanted to return there [after the war]. Recently, he was undergoing a military medical commission, planning to demobilize due to health reasons, and those plans seemed quite realistic,” said his mother, Yuliia Mykolaivna.
Yevhen had many friends. He enjoyed hosting friendly gatherings at home, in the garden. In general, he was very kind and non-confrontational.
He loved working in the garden and taking care of his home — building, fixing, repairing. He even set up a shelving system in his garage and grew oyster mushrooms there. The endeavor was so successful that both neighbors and small shops bought his mushrooms. He also knew how to repair cars — even MAZ, KRAZ, and other heavy trucks.
During the full-scale war, Yevhen defended Mariupol, Bakhmut, Siversk, Soledar, and Chasiv Yar.
In Mariupol, he spent several weeks at Azovstal — among those who managed to leave before the full encirclement. The family does not know the details: Yevhen said he was forbidden to share. What is known for certain is that since 2023 Yevhen served as an assault trooper in the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Ivan Mazepa.
“He never went on leave. Only once, in 2023, after he was wounded by a mine explosion and suffered a concussion, he spent a month at home. Even then, he didn’t speak about the war. He had awards, and due to his injury and overall health condition, he was already about to be demobilized,” his mother shared.
Yevhen was buried along with his fallen brothers-in-arms in Dnipro, at the Alley of Glory.
He is survived by a son and a daughter, his parents, and a younger sister.
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.