Ihor Prokopenko

Serviceman Ihor Prokopenko, callsign Hantelia, was killed in an explosion on the night of July 29, 2022, while being held in russian captivity at a penal colony in the temporarily occupied settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk region. He was 22 years old.

Ihor was born in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region. He finished nine grades at the local school and then obtained a qualification as a machine operator at a vocational school. He joined the special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, “Azov,” in January 2022. Before that, he had served under contract in the National Guard for two years. He was at the training base in Urzuf when the full-scale invasion began.

His elder sister, Kseniia Prokopenko, recalls that she last saw her brother during the New Year holidays.

“On February 24, I had a short exchange of messages with my brother, from which I learned that they were leaving Urzuf for Mariupol. No details. He was worried about our parents and our younger brother, because Ihor knew that enemy troops were entering Melitopol. I replied that I would take care of everyone, that the main thing was for him to be safe and return home,” Kseniia says.

She adds that she and their parents rarely had a chance to communicate with Ihor: during all 86 days of the defense of Mariupol, he managed to get in touch only about five times. On April 21, she spoke to him for the last time.

“The situation is hard now, but I will definitely not surrender. If I have to go into captivity, I will blow myself up with a grenade,” Kseniia quotes her brother.

On May 16, the family saw the address of commander Denys Prokopenko regarding the withdrawal from Azovstal into captivity. Kseniia did not see her brother in any of the videos or photos, so she wasn’t sure if Ihor had left the steelworks. But on the morning of July 30, lists released by russian media appeared. Second on the list was Ihor Prokopenko. That was how the family learned that their son and brother had been killed in the terrorist attack. The family waited for DNA test results starting in October 2022. They received confirmation of a match on May 23, 2023.

In Kseniia’s memories, her brother was a kind-hearted person who always helped everyone and was ready to give away his last. He used to bring home cats and dogs from the street. He wanted to live and travel, especially to visit the Carpathians and go hiking in the mountains. He also had a dream — to renovate the family house in Melitopol.

He is remembered by his parents and his sister.

Source: Memorial

Contributors: Sophia Yakivtsiv and Tetiana Spindel (translators), Liena Shulika (designer)