Shot by Russia: 22-year-old rescuer Sergei Antonenko was killed by the Russians with a rocket, hitting the shelter of the State Emergency Service
On July 17, 2023, a missile attack was carried out on the city of Belopole, which is 8 kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation. The occupiers struck the central park and the fire and rescue section of the State Emergency Service. Then as a result, 6 rescuers were injured. The most difficult was for the youngest, 22-year-old Sergey Antonenko.
Sergey Antonenko graduated from the university in 2021 and, according to distribution, came to his native Sumy region. He was appointed to the post of the chief of the 6th police station of the city. Bilopillya.
At the university, he was interested in climbing and, even, conducted courses for his fellow students. He had a love for the lifeguard profession immediately, so the guy tried to develop and cover as many skills as possible.
He never said that it was difficult, because he chose this path himself. At the service, Sergei met a full-scale invasion. Then the enemy not only fired on Sumy region, but also attacked from different directions.
“During the war, Sergey showed himself very bravely, he was never afraid to go in any direction. Our area of departure runs along the border with the aggressor state, often we are involved in the elimination of the consequences of shelling in the border villages. Everyone knew that if Sergey goes, he will not fail. It was possible to rely on it,” recalls the deputy head of the 6-DPRCH of Moscow. Bilopillya Yakim Novikov.
On July 17, 2023, the first explosion in Bilopil thundered without the “Air Alarm” signal, but after feeling the impact, rescuers immediately went to shelter. In a minute it flew for the second time on the territory of the fire department of the State Emergency Service. At that time, Sergei Antonenko went into hiding.
“The arrival was at the wall of the shelter. It was there that our colleague Sergey Antonenko stood. He fell over and fell asleep with his head. Those who were standing nearby were cut to pieces. As soon as we all came to our senses, we began to dig up Sergei,” recalls Andriy Zoretsky, head of the 6th state fire and rescue department of the city. Bilopillya.
The fight for the life of the rescuer lasted several days. In the hospital, he underwent several operations, but later the boy fell into a coma, and died on July 23. Sergey Antonenko was only 22 years old, he had parents and a girlfriend.
Now Slavgorod, Belopole and many other border settlements of Sumy region suffer from daily Russian shelling. We dedicate this edition of the project “Shot by Russia” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to the memory of the young rescuer — Sergey Antonenko.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
