Valerii S. Tiurin (Hrek)

Soldier Valeriy Tyurin (call sign Greek) was killed in action on May 1, 2022, near the village of Burlatskoye in Donetsk region. He received fatal injuries during an enemy mortar attack. The defender was 59 years old. Valeriy Tyurin was born in the village of Velika Novosilka, Donetsk region. In 1980, he graduated from Velikonovosilkovska School No. 2. He grew up as a positive child, had many friends, loved nature, sports, and his village. He always remembered his grandmother's stories about his grandfather who was repressed in 1938. Later, he graduated from Pokrovsk Vocational School No. 5, where he learned the profession of a refrigeration unit operator. "We met in the summer of 1981. It was love at first sight. In the fall, Valeriy went to serve, returned from the army in the fall of 1983, and on December 24, we got married. A year later, our son Sergei was born, and we became a happy family, loving each other very much. We spent our vacations together, went to the forest, the sea, and the river. Valeriy loved to travel, was fond of fishing, photography, and always had a camera with him. He was a kind, loving, affectionate, caring husband and father, a friendly and decent friend, helped his parents, respected and honored them. He loved all his relatives, nephews and nieces, never forgot about them. At home, he did everything himself, always making something in the garage, he was very diligent," recalls the fallen soldier's wife, Lyudmila. From 1985, the husband lived with his family in the city of Mirnograd in Donetsk region. He worked at the mine "5/6" and later at "Krasnolymanska." In 2011, he had a myocardial infarction, underwent stenting, and received a disability of the III group. "A great joy in our family was our son's wedding in 2007, and then we had a daughter. An even greater happiness was the birth of our grandson in 2011 and our granddaughter in 2017. Valeriy spent a lot of time with them, and every summer we went on vacation together. He was fond of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Valeriy was a great patriot of his homeland, was proud of it, and always told everyone, 'You will hear more about our Ukraine!'," adds the woman. On February 26, 2022, Valeriy volunteered to join the ranks of the TRO. He served as a rifleman in the 109th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On March 1, he was already at the front. He participated in battles near his native Velika Novosilka when the enemy attacked from Mariupol and Volnovakha. After a grueling withdrawal from the encirclement on April 18, he was hospitalized in Zaporizhzhia. And on April 29, after a little treatment and recovery, he returned to his 105th battalion because he could no longer imagine life without his comrades. "It was a brave and well-considered decision. Days and nights dragged on waiting for a phone call, as there was not always a connection. Conversations were short: 'How are you? I'm fine. Take care of yourself! I love you very much! Everything will be fine! We will win! Glory to Ukraine!' Our home is empty... Nothing can compare to this loss. We all suffer and miss our grandfather very much. We will never forget our Hero defender! We will never forgive our enemies!" say his relatives. Valeriy was buried at the "Ozerka" cemetery in Mirnograd. At home, a loving family was waiting for the defender: his wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter. Posthumously, the warrior was awarded the Order of "Courage" III degree.