Daughter born during Mariupol siege: the story of the National Guardsman whose photo from Azovstal won hearts worldwide
27-year-old Volodymyr is a defender of Mariupol who became famous when a photograph of him at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works was published worldwide.
He caught the attention of Dmytro "Orest" Kozatskyi, photographer and press officer for the Azov Regiment, and his photo was exhibited in various European countries.
The National Guard of Ukraine has told the soldier's story on Facebook.
Volodymyr is the father of two children, the younger of whom was born on 9 March 2022, when the Guardsman was on his latest rotation in Donetsk Oblast.
At that time, Russian troops already surrounded Mariupol, and there was almost no network connection.
Quote: "I remember I was sleeping before my shift, and the guys woke me up and started congratulating me. I didn't understand at first, and then I went to look for a connection to call my wife and see the baby. Then I promised myself I had to return home, because my family was waiting for me there," Volodymyr recalls.
The fighter also recalled how the legendary photo was taken.
"Once, in the bunker, a fighter from Azov [the regiment] saw me and told me I was famous because my photo had spread all over the Internet and was in various exhibitions abroad. The photo was taken on the spur of the moment. I wanted to look neat (a military habit), so I asked for a few minutes to wash and get changed," the National Guardsman says.
Volodymyr says that even in the horrific conditions they were living in, the fighters tried to protect their families from the truth and did not talk about the severity of their injuries.
That rotation was the first for many soldiers. For several weeks, a group of National Guardsmen was on duty at the fish canning factory and had to conduct observations and report back on the operational situation.
At the end of March 2022, the group had to relocate to another position in the seaport area because the Russian occupiers began deploying more and more equipment and were engaging the Ukrainians in heavy artillery bombardments.
"It is difficult to fight against tanks with small arms. Combat is not a Counter-Strike game, so couch strategies don't work here. The situation changed every minute, and you had to adapt to everything," Volodymyr recalls.
After a convoy broke through to Azovstal in mid-April, the National Guardsman, together with his comrades, returned to the position.
During shelling, he received a shrapnel wound to his face and was evacuated to a field hospital on the premises of the steelworks.
After many months of captivity, Volodymyr returned home as part of a prisoner swap in February 2023.
"Today, the Guardsman is continuing his treatment and rehabilitation following his injury and spending time with his family," the National Guard of Ukraine added.
Background:
- The defenders of Mariupol defended the city from the Russian invaders for three months, and their last stronghold was the Azovstal metallurgical plant.
- Soldiers, marines, patrol policemen, border guards and other fighters held the plant under constant Russian fire amidst shortages of medicine, water and food.
- Dmytro "Orest" Kozatskyi captured the life and conditions of the dungeon where the wounded soldiers lived on film. The former press officer of Azov also created a short film about the last day at Azovstal before leaving the territory of the plant.
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