Maryna A. Aleksiuk (Maryna)

Sergeant Marina Aleksyuk (call sign Marina) was killed on May 8, 2022, at the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol, Donetsk region. She was 43 years old. Marina was born in the village of Portivske, Donetsk region. After school, she mastered the plastering and painting trade in Donetsk. She worked as a landscaping specialist at a recreation center in Mariupol. In 2015, she signed a contract with the Azov regiment. She was a master mechanic in the anti-aircraft missile division and a logistics clerk for the Yuriivka garrison. Marina and her civilian partner Mykola Ivanchenko met in 2018 when he returned to the Azov regiment. They talked for half the night, and Marina shared how she joined the Azov regiment in 2015 after the eastern part of Mariupol was shelled, and she was left without a job. The chief of staff offered her to join the regiment, and she signed a contract. Marina was a fighter by nature and was looking for ways to take revenge. Mykola later transferred to the Berdyansk marine corps. They last saw each other a few days before the full-scale invasion. Mykola asked Marina to switch places with him so that she could be with their children, but she refused, saying she loved him and asked him to take care of the children, as she knew they would not be able to leave Azovstal. On May 8, Mykola bought phones for all the children. Soon after, contact with Marina was lost. On May 16, the guardianship service informed Mykola that Marina had was killed in a massive fire at Azovstal, where 60 people were killed. Only fragments of six bodies were found, and Marina's body was not among them. Marina was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, Third Degree. Her three minor daughters, her civilian partner, sister, and two brothers survive her.