1970–2025
Oleksandr Shemet
Pilot who broke through to Azovstal
When he learned he was flying into encircled Mariupol, one helicopter had already failed to return. On 5 April 2022 Lt Col Oleksandr Shemet delivered cargo to Azovstal and flew out eight badly wounded men. It was the last successful air run to the plant. Hero of Ukraine; killed in December 2025.
Key accomplishments
- Pilot with the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade; fought in the anti-terrorist operation in the east from 2015 and defended Kyiv at the start of the full-scale invasion
- On 5 April 2022 flew the sixth mission into encircled Mariupol, delivering cargo to Azovstal and flying out eight badly wounded men
- Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star (decree No. 219/2022 of 7 April 2022)
- Awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd class, and the Order of Danylo Halytskyi
- Killed on 17 December 2025 with his whole Mi-24 crew on a combat mission to intercept Shahed drones
The flight others didn’t come back from
When Oleksandr Shemet was told that he would be the next to fly into encircled Mariupol, one crew had already failed to come back. From March 2022 helicopters were the only way to bring medicine, food and ammunition to the defenders of the Azovstal steelworks and to fly the wounded out. With every run the russians met them with heavier fire. “I prayed to God that everything would be all right,” the lieutenant colonel recalled.
From Koriukivka to Lviv region
Oleksandr Shemet was born on 13 December 1970 in Koriukivka in Chernihiv region. After military college he was posted to Lviv region, where he spent most of his life. He flew with the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade, fought in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine from 2015, and defended Kyiv at the start of the full-scale invasion.
The sixth flight
The flight was set for the night of 5 April. Both crews reached Mariupol, unloaded their cargo at Azovstal and took the wounded on board: Shemet’s helicopter carried eight badly wounded men. On the way back the helicopters came under fire from a russian ship that had moved out into the Sea of Azov. “The helicopter was tossed around like a toy by the blast waves,” the pilot said. He kept manoeuvring and brought the aircraft and everyone in it home. The second crew, with wounded on board, went missing seven kilometres short of the front line, and a rescue helicopter sent to help was shot down too. It was the last successful air run to Azovstal.
On 7 April 2022 Shemet, navigator-pilot Oleksandr Liashenko and flight technician Andrii Shohan were made Heroes of Ukraine, the country’s highest title.
The last mission
On the evening of 17 December 2025 the Mi-24 crew under Shemet’s command took off to intercept russian Shahed attack drones and did not return. All four crew members were killed. The helicopter came down in Cherkasy region; the preliminary version is that it collided with a drone.
Why it matters today
When helicopters were the only thread between the besieged steelworks and the rest of Ukraine, Oleksandr Shemet flew, knowing that not every crew came back. Because of that flight, eight badly wounded men made it home. He showed that you don’t leave your own behind, even under siege, as long as someone is willing to take the risk. “Freedom comes at a high price,” he said of comrades who don’t come back from missions. His service, from the anti-terrorist operation to hunting Shahed drones, is a reminder that behind that freedom stand real people ready to risk themselves for it.
