Senior Sergeant Yevhen Kotelyanets, known to his comrades by the callsign “Kot”, was killed on May 3, 2022, at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. He was 37 years old. Yevhen was one of the 72 volunteers who flew into the besieged city by helicopter to support the defenders.
Childhood and brotherhood
Yevhen was born on May 9, 1984, in Kyiv. His life was inseparable from that of his brother Dmytro. They went to school together and later served their compulsory military service in Kharkiv, where Yevhen attained the rank of senior sergeant.
“A brother is the best birthday gift our parents could have ever given us. Childhood, school, army, adult life – we lived it all together, side by side,” Dmytro recalls.
Peaceful life
After military service, Yevhen studied economics at the National Academy of Management. He launched his own business, worked as a customs broker with his brother, and built a family with his beloved wife Nina. Together they raised two daughters. Volleyball was their shared passion – Yevhen competed successfully, winning championships in Kyiv and prize places at national tournaments.
Choosing the front line
On February 24, 2022, the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Yevhen volunteered at the enlistment office. Serving in the Azov-Kyiv Special Operations unit, he fought in the suburbs of Kyiv, including Bucha and Irpin. On March 30, he joined a daring helicopter mission to Mariupol.
“We kept in touch every 2–3 days. Then one night the phone rang — a familiar voice said: ‘Kot 200…’. He was killed on his position by a Russian tank shell,” Dmytro recalls.
Memory and legacy
In Kyiv, the volleyball club “Trukhaniv Island” was renamed in his honor. Friends also planted a memorial tree on the Alley of Heroes.
“Zheka was the soul of our club. Wherever he was, there was laughter, jokes, fish soup, or pilaf cooked over fire. He gave so much to us. His kindness and volleyball mastery will stay with us forever,” said his friend Oleksandr Shvets.
Additionally, at the SET Beach Sports Center, a volleyball enthusiasts’ group named “Pozivnyi Kit” (Callsign Kot) was created in his memory.
Yevhen Kotelyanets was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage” (III Class) and the Medal “For Bravery and Valor.”
Bureaucratic ordeal for the family
For his family, grief was compounded by bureaucracy. Despite clear evidence of his death, for half a year the state listed Yevhen as “missing in action” rather than killed. This left his relatives unable to receive official recognition or financial compensation.
It was only thanks to testimony from three comrades who returned from Russian captivity that a court officially confirmed his death in January 2023. Even then, the family continued waiting months for the necessary documents.
“He owed nothing, but he went knowingly. He knew he was flying into hell – to Mariupol, to Azovstal. The boys held out there for so long… And in the end, just one dry note: ‘Missing in action,’” Dmytro said.
His mother, Liudmyla Anatoliivna, received only a formal reply from the military office. No words of sympathy, no gratitude for raising a son who was among the first volunteers to defend his country.
To this day, the family has not received proper compensation. Instead, they face endless paperwork, delays, and indifference.
A lesson for the state
The tragedy of Yevhen Kotelyanets is not only the story of one hero, but also a reflection of how the system burdens families who have already paid the highest price. Families of fallen soldiers need not only financial support but also humanity, respect, and gratitude.
The memory of Heroes is not only about monuments and medals – it is about how their loved ones are treated here and now.
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