Hero of Ukraine with the award of the Order of the Golden Star (posthumously) was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine Mykhailo Chuprini, who led the fire from a beaten tank to the last
Senior Lieutenant of the Azov Regiment of NGU Mikhail Chuprina is a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war, who heroically died last year during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Mikhail Chuprin was born on April 19, 1990 in the city of Khrustalny (formerly Krasny Luch) of the Luhansk region. He studied at Donetsk State Technical University, graduating with a degree in Industrial and Civil Construction.
He stood at the origins of the creation of the tank unit of the OZSP NGU “Azov”, which was named “Kholodny Yar” in honor of the invincible rebels of the people's republic of the same name. In 2014, when his hometown came under the control of pro-Russian terrorists, his mother transferred to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, and joined the Azov battalion himself.
In March 2015, he began training as a tank gunner. Subsequently, he took part in the battles for the village. Shyrokyne. After the commander was seriously wounded, he was entrusted with the command of the tank crew. He gradually rose to senior lieutenant, and in September 2020 he led a tank company.
Since February 24, 2022, the commander of the tank company of the OZSP NGU “Azov” Senior Lieutenant Mikhail Chuprin under the call sign “Chupa” with his unit defended Mariupol. His tankers took up defenses along Naberezhnaya Street. As it turned out later, this was the main direction of the enemy's offensive actions.
The officer skillfully led the subordinate unit during the defense of the hero city of Mariupol. In battle, he led fire from a battered tank to the last.
In total, between February 25 and March 12 of last year, the tankers of Mikhail Chuprin's company heroically repelled eight attempts to break through the defense, in incredibly difficult conditions, they withstood enemy shelling from artillery and the RSFSR “Grad”. In particular, the T-64 crew under the command of Chuprin destroyed seven enemy tanks, five armored vehicles and up to ten trucks. At the same time, the invaders lost up to two motorized rifle platoons of manpower.
On March 13, 2022, during an attempt to break through the defense of the city from the settlement of Staryi Krym, Senior Lieutenant Chuprin destroyed three tanks, two armored personnel carriers and about a platoon of personnel of the Russian occupier.
Mikhail Chuprin died like a real tanker, taking the last battle in a tank that the enemy had beaten. The fighting vehicle could not move, but it could fire. So the officer decided to use it as a fixed firing point. Together with the company commander, the gunner with the call sign “Press”, Sergeant Ruslan Zhivolup, remained in the tower. Their tank continued to fire until the enemies managed to hit the “Azov” T-64...
Today the state award - the title Hero of Ukraine with the award of the Order of the Golden Star (posthumously), was presented by the President of Ukraine to his mother and stepfather Mikhail.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
