Oleksandr Hrynko

Mariupol defender Oleksandr Hrynko (call sign Hrynia) was killed on July 29, 2022, during a terrorist attack at a prison facility in the temporarily occupied settlement of Olenivka, Donetsk region. The 39-year-old Azov fighter had been taken captive at the Azovstal.

Oleksandr was born and raised in Mariupol, Donetsk region. He worked in the converter shop of the Illich Iron and Steel Works. It was in his hometown that he met Viktoriia, the woman he would marry. The couple dreamed of a future together.

With his own hands, Oleksandr built their home. Tireless and driven, he worked long hours to give his family a stable, comfortable life. A future defender loved his dog, Nayk, deeply.

“2014… war… fear and uncertainty… but we stayed in Mariupol,” Viktoriia recalled. “He wasn’t himself anymore. I could feel how torn he was—this overwhelming sense of injustice, of being unable to convince people what was true and what was just propaganda.”

On January 24, 2015, Russian forces shelled the eastern district of Mariupol. After work, Oleksandr began going there to help locals repair damaged homes. One evening, he came home and said quietly but firmly: “I’m joining Azov. I have to defend this country. I have to protect you. They will come for us, and I need to be ready.”

That same year, he enlisted in the Azov Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine. Starting as a communications specialist, Hrynko later became skilled in both engineering and mortar operations.

“He defended the country. He defended Mariupol. Every family there, every child,” Viktoriia said. “He stayed in the city until the very end, and I know—if it had come to it—he would have stayed until his last breath.”

During the full-scale invasion, Senior Sergeant Hrynko was among the first to stand in defense of Mariupol. He fought through the brutal battles for the city and the Azovstal steel plant. Eventually, the fighter and his brothers-in-arms were taken prisoner.

On July 29, 2022, following the explosion in Olenivka, the russian side published a list of killed Ukrainian servicemen. Hrynia’s name appeared there.

A farewell ceremony was held on June 13, 2023, at Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv.

Waiting in vain for their protector: his parents, sister, wife, and daughter.

Source: Memorial

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