b. 1991
Denys Prokopenko
Azov commander, defender of Mariupol
His degree says English teacher, not military academy. At 26 Denys Prokopenko, call sign Redis, took command of Azov, and in 2022 he led the defence of besieged Mariupol and the Azovstal steelworks for over 80 days. Hero of Ukraine.
Key accomplishments
- In Azov since 2014: rose from private to commander of the whole unit (September 2017 – June 2022)
- Led the Ukrainian forces that defended encircled Mariupol for more than 80 days (February–May 2022)
- Hero of Ukraine (19 March 2022)
- Brigadier general (2026); commander of the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps from April 2025; as of October 2026, commander of the Azov grouping of forces
An English teacher who became a commander
Denys Prokopenko’s diploma is not from a military academy but from a faculty of Germanic philology: he trained as a teacher of English. He never worked as one. Born in Kyiv in 1991, he did martial arts and running from childhood, and as a student he was one of the most active ultras of the football club Dynamo Kyiv. He took part in the Revolution of Dignity on the Maidan in Kyiv.
From private to commander of Azov
In 2014, when the war in the Donbas began, Prokopenko joined Azov, a special-purpose unit of Ukraine’s National Guard, under the call sign Redis. In February 2015, together with other Azov fighters and the Donbas battalion, he fought for the village of Shyrokyne, and the Russian-backed militants were pushed 20 kilometres back from Mariupol. In September 2017, aged 26, Prokopenko took command of the whole unit.
More than 80 days under siege
After Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Prokopenko led the Ukrainian forces that held Mariupol, completely encircled, for more than 80 days. His deputy in Azov was Sviatoslav Palamar. The city’s last stronghold was the Azovstal steelworks, where marines of the 36th Brigade led by Serhii Volynskyi broke through in April. On 19 March 2022 Prokopenko was made a Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest title.
On 20 May, on the orders of Ukraine’s top military command, he was among the last to leave Azovstal and was taken prisoner by Russia. On 21 September 2022 Prokopenko, Palamar, Volynskyi and two other commanders were freed in an exchange. They stayed in Türkiye until July 2023.
Why he is remembered
Presenting the Gold Star orders to the Azovstal commanders, the head of the Office of the President said that they and their troops “managed to tie down huge enemy forces. Forces that the enemy lacked to occupy larger territories.” Back home, Prokopenko took command of Azov again, and in April 2025 of the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps. As of October 2026 Brigadier General Prokopenko commands the Azov grouping of forces.
