Stepan L. Yeriomenko

Sergeant Stepan Yeremenko was killed on May 11, 2022 at the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol, Donetsk region. At 2:30 pm, while carrying out a combat mission, he came under an air strike by the enemy. He sustained a fatal explosive injury. The defender was 31 years old. Stepan was born in Mariupol. He studied at school No. 51. He graduated from Mariupol Humanitarian University with a degree in International Relations. At the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, he defended his hometown and was wounded. Two years later, he became a leading specialist at the Canine Center of the National Police of Ukraine in Mariupol. Since April 2021, he has held the position of head of the 1st canine group of the canine platoon of the 12th operational brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. "Styopa was my only child. I named him after my father. He and my mother was killed in a car accident, four years before Styopa's birth. I told him a lot about them, and he very much wanted to be like his grandfather. When my son was 8 years old, I buried my husband. So I raised the child alone. Styopa grew up kind, fair and responsible. He had a sense of humor that everyone really liked. He always came to the aid of those in need. Thanks to all these qualities, he had many friends. From an early age, he loved animals. Especially dogs and cats. And they felt it. On the way from school, some cat would always cling to him. And we always had dogs at home. Because I am a dog handler with many years of experience. The passion for dogs was passed on to my son. From the age of 16, he began to help me at the training ground. He attended various canine seminars, became an instructor in training in many areas. He was a member of the Canine Union of Ukraine. Despite his political science degree, the canine business was close to his heart. And I did not object. I was the executive director of the canine department in Mariupol. Together, we achieved high results. We organized various events, exhibitions, competitions," Alla Yeremenko said. From the first hours of the full-scale invasion, Stepan defended Mariupol. Since April, he has been at Azovstal with 14 service dogs along with other defenders of the city. "The last time I spoke to my son was on May 7. He reported: 'It's very difficult, constant shelling. Since the end of April, we have no food or water. Everything we had, we shared with the civilians who are here. The most difficult is without water. We collect rainwater. But I'm holding on because I love you all very much.' He meant me, his wife and our daughter Sofia. She was born on May 11, 2021. Styopa saw her when she was 9 months old. And it was on May 11, a year later, that he was killed. We found out about this at the end of the month. Myself. I started calling the 'hotline' when our prisoners were being released from Azovstal. That's when they told me that Styopa had was killed as a result of a bomb hit... His beloved dog Figaro sensed something shortly before the full-scale invasion. He had tears in his eyes for no reason. And two weeks before Styopa's death, he walked beside me, lying at my feet. I constantly felt anxious. Especially in early May. I so wanted to hug my son tightly and not let go. Such a son as I had, it is a happiness to have. Now he is a guardian angel for our Sofia," the defender's mother added. Stepan is survived by his mother, wife and daughter Sofia. The warrior was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage of the III degree.