Vladyslav Yu. Shelomiienko (Sensei)

62-year-old Junior Sergeant Vladyslav Shelomiienko (call sign Sensei) was killed in captivity on the night of July 29, 2022, while being held in the Olenivska colony in Donetsk region. Russian military personnel staged a terrorist attack that night and killed dozens of Ukrainian soldiers. Vladyslav was born in Potsdam, Germany, to a military family. Since 1980, he lived in Kharkiv. There he met his love and got married. He loved tanks above all else and became a tank tester at the Malyshev plant. After being laid off, he worked as a long-haul driver, but dreamed of returning to tanks. This passion grew into a hobby - the man collected everything related to tanks. In 2014, he decided to devote more time to his family and got a job at a local car repair shop. As a result of an accident - a fire - he suffered serious burns, and then he was advised to get a disability. However, the man said: "I am not disabled, I will show what I am capable of!" and decided to join the military service. Later, he became a fighter of the Azov battalion and fulfilled his dream - he returned to his beloved tanks in the repair company at the Azov base in Urzuf. During the full-scale war, Vladyslav held the position of driver-mechanic and from February 24, 2022, together with his comrades-in-arms, defended Mariupol and the Azovstal plant. In the spring, after fierce battles, he fell into Russian captivity, from where he never returned. The defender last contacted his relatives on May 18, saying: "I'm doing well, I'll be back soon." During his service, the military man was repeatedly awarded, in particular with the medals "Defender of Mariupol", "For Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation", "For Valiant Service". And posthumously - the Order of Courage of the III degree. "Sensei was an optimist, even when he understood that the chances were slim. Dad could do a lot of things that were even unimaginable. On the eve of leaving Azovstal for captivity to save his life, Dad asked to create a chevron 'Cyborg - Defender of Mariupol'. He believed: when he got out of captivity, he would be able to give it to the guys as a memento of that special path in their lives. When I asked how many, he said: 'There are many of us. There will be enough time for a batch.' And only when I received two DNA matches, I understood what the chevron should be. It is a steel cyborg with the Azov shield. I only changed the inscription, because in my opinion it is more powerful. Dad received his chevron, but already at the funeral. I put it on his coffin. Now I give them on his behalf to those who were at Azovstal in those terrible days," said Tetiana Poltorак, the hero's daughter. In May 2023, Vladyslav was buried in the Alley of Glory of cemetery No. 18 in Kharkiv. He is survived by his wife Liudmyla, daughters Tetiana and Olha, son Andrii, four grandchildren and a great-grandchild.