On May 8, 2022, 43-year-old defender Maryna Aleksyuk, call sign Maryna, was killed at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Maryna was born in the village of Portivske. In 2015, she signed a contract with the Azov Regiment. She served as a repair workshop master in the anti-aircraft missile division and as a rear office clerk at the Yurivka garrison.
“Our children were with me. I asked Maryna to switch places with me because a mother should be with her children. She already knew that those at Azovstal would not be allowed to leave — all the databases had been leaked to the occupiers. She replied: ‘I love you. Take care of the children and look after them…’ Then the connection was lost. That was on March 6. I took our three children to a safe place. My heart felt empty. But a week later, I briefly heard from her again. Maryna wrote: ‘I’m alive, everything’s fine.’ I dropped to my knees and cried with relief,” recalls her husband Mykola.
Maryna was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class.
At 9:00 a.m. — a nationwide moment of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Heroes Memorial platform honor the memory of fallen defenders from Donetsk region.