b. 1992
Serhii Volynskyi
Commander of the marines at Azovstal
“I am not a Catholic, I am Orthodox.” So began the letter to Pope Francis that marine commander Serhii Volynskyi, call sign Volyna, wrote from encircled Mariupol. In April 2022 he led part of the 36th Brigade into Azovstal to join Azov. Hero of Ukraine.
Key accomplishments
- Marine officer; after Russia occupied Crimea in 2014 he left for mainland Ukraine and kept serving in the 36th Separate Marine Brigade
- On 13 April 2022 led part of the 36th Brigade into Azovstal, where the marines defended the steelworks together with Azov
- Acting commander of the 36th Brigade (April–May 2022); Hero of Ukraine (decree No. 683/2022 of 1 October 2022)
- Initiated the Stalevi (“Steel”) charity foundation, which supports marines and their families (2023)
A letter from a city under siege
In April 2022 a marine commander who, in his own words, had been fighting in complete encirclement in Mariupol for more than 50 days wrote to Pope Francis. “I am not a Catholic, I am Orthodox. I believe in God and I know that light always defeats darkness,” began Serhii Volynskyi, known by his call sign Volyna. He wrote that women and children were living in the bunkers under the steelworks, and asked the Pope to help evacuate them and tell the world the truth.
A boy from Poltava who kept his oath
Volynskyi was born in Poltava in 1992. After ninth grade he went to a military lyceum in Kremenchuk, then to the National Army Academy in Lviv. He served with the marines in Crimea, and in 2014, when Russia occupied the peninsula, he returned to the mainland with the servicemen who stayed loyal to their oath to Ukraine. He went on serving in the 36th Separate Marine Brigade in Mykolaiv and fought in the Donbas.
The breakthrough to Azovstal
From the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Volynskyi defended Mariupol. On 13 April part of the 36th Brigade under his command broke through to the Azovstal steelworks and joined forces with Denys Prokopenko’s Azov. In April and May he was acting commander of the brigade. He appealed to world leaders, calling for the trapped soldiers and civilians to be rescued the way the Allies were at Dunkirk in 1940. On 20 May Volynskyi was among the last to lay down his arms, and was taken prisoner by Russia.
After captivity
On 21 September 2022 he was freed in an exchange together with Prokopenko, Sviatoslav Palamar and other commanders; they stayed in Türkiye until July 2023. On 1 October 2022 Volynskyi was made a Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest title. While still in Türkiye he started the Stalevi foundation, which looks after marines and their families. He later left the army for the reserve and works with the foundation.
Why it matters
His letter to the Pope and the video appeals from the besieged steelworks were among the ways Mariupol’s defenders spoke to the world. The Stalevi foundation carries that work on for the marines serving today.
