Senior Police Lieutenant Mykola Samoilenko, call sign “Shustryi,” died on January 19, 2023, in a detention center in Donetsk. He was taken captive on March 2, 2022, during the evacuation of civilians, when he and his comrades fell into an ambush. He was 26 years old.
Mykola was born on October 5, 1996, in the village of Bahatyr, Volnovakha district. From an early age, he was a leader and the life of the party, always gathering boys from the entire street around him.
“His childhood passion was playing ‘war.’ Becoming a soldier was his dream. Our father made him an almost full-size wooden replica of an assault rifle. Kolya loved that toy so much that for some time he even slept with it,” his older brother Oleksandr recalled.
At school, Mykola loved history. He trained on pull-up bars and later became interested in parkour. He always took part in district long-distance running competitions. Neighbors remembered him as the young man who, in any season, ran 15 kilometers outside the village with a backpack on his shoulders. The backpack was filled with stones—this is how he prepared to meet the physical standards for university admission.
After school, he studied at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. During that time, he attended knife-fighting classes and played paintball. His greatest passion, however, was tactical and special training courses.
“After university, he worked for about two years at the district police department. But paperwork was not his calling. Those years were preparation for joining KORD. My younger brother was the most goal-oriented person I have ever known,” Oleksandr said.
Later, Mykola joined the KORD special operations unit, serving as a senior inspector of the 2nd Special Operations (Assault) Department in Mariupol.
“We last saw each other on February 24, the day the full-scale invasion began. Mykola was in Kyiv at the time. We met, and my brother handed over all his belongings and his backpack. He also advised me to stock up on food and water and told me to take care of myself and our parents. We hugged. He smiled and said everything would be fine. How wrong he was,” Oleksandr recalled.
Mykola could have stayed in the capital, but he broke through to Mariupol because he could not abandon his comrades.
“On March 2, our mother received a call from an unknown number. I believe it was one of my brother’s comrades. He informed us that Mykola had been taken captive. We managed to contact the leadership, and the information was confirmed. Everyone told us the same thing—that everything was fine, that they were on the exchange lists and would be released very soon,” his brother said.
At first, Mykola was held in the Olenivka penal colony. Later, he was transferred to a detention center in Donetsk. The last time he made contact was on September 23, 2022, when he spoke briefly with his mother. On February 28, 2023, the commander informed the family of Mykola’s death—allegedly from meningitis.
The soldier was posthumously awarded the Presidential Distinction “For the Defense of Ukraine” and the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class. The street where Mykola lived in his native village was named after him. The village is currently occupied.
He was laid to rest at a cemetery in Bilohorodka, Bucha district, Kyiv region.
Mykola is survived by his father, mother, and older brother.
At 9:00 a.m. — a nationwide minute of silence.
The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Heroes Memorial platform honor fallen defenders from Donetsk region.