Olga arrived in Ukraine from Chelyabinsk at the end of 2014. Already in April–September 2015, she served as a paramedic in a PDMSh evacuation team — in Bakhmut and Luhanske in the Donetsk region, as well as in Popasna in the Luhansk region. It was there, alongside the wounded and under constant threat, that her path in the war for Ukraine began to take shape.
In the autumn of 2016, Olga signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade. In 2020, she left the service and tried to recover her health — she had serious back issues. However, she was unable to find herself in civilian life and, in 2021, returned to military service.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, Olga, together with her fellow soldiers, defended some of the most intense areas of the Luhansk region. Later, as part of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, she was redeployed to the southern direction. On September 13, 2022, she was killed while carrying out a combat mission in the Kherson region during an offensive.
Together with PDMSh veteran Ihor Simutin, a long path was taken: first securing for Olga the status of a combatant, then Ukrainian citizenship in 2017, and later the awarding of the title Hero of Ukraine, as well as the preservation of her memory.
Today, her “Golden Star of Hero” is preserved in the War Museum. It is not just an award — it is a symbol of remembrance, of courage, choice, and devotion. Of a person who became part of Ukraine not by place of birth, but by her own decision.
Eternal memory and honor!
