"REN"

Stepan Chuiko, with the pseudonym “REN”, was born on 28 December 1998 in the village of Tysmenychany, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. He was a very friendly boy, loved by fellow villagers and praised by teachers at school and college. From early childhood, Stepan treated elders with respect and had many friends. He loved animals very much and always gathered local dogs and cats around him. After the 9th grade, he enrolled in Nadvirna College, specializing in “Motor Vehicle Mechanic”. Later, he joined the nationalist movement, where in 2014 he was brought by his older brother Ruslan. At first, it was the Ivano-Frankivsk branch of the civic organization “Patriot of Ukraine”, which later was reformatted into the “Azov” Civil Corps. According to his relatives, civic work in the Civil Corps took all of the young man’s free time. Stepan actively participated in all the organization’s events, and it was there that he received patriotic upbringing which eventually reached its apex — the decision to defend the Fatherland from a pro-Russian invasion. In 2018, after successfully completing combat training, friend REN joined the 3rd company of the 1st battalion of the “Azov” Regiment. At the beginning of 2019, REN was among the first of the newly arrived recruits to be sent to the regiment’s combat mission area on the Svitlodarsk Bulge. After returning from the Svitlodarsk Bulge, within a few months the young Azov fighter became the Chief Sergeant of the 2nd platoon of the 3rd company of the 1st battalion of the “Azov” Regiment. From 2021, Stepan Chuiko de facto held the position of commander of the 2nd platoon. “Almost all the time he focused on self-development and the development of the unit entrusted to him, demonstrating high personal and collective results at training grounds and tests.” A few days before the full-scale war, Sergeant Stepan Chuiko was engaged as the commander of the GShR. About 50 servicemen were under his command. Sergeant Stepan Chuiko was killed on 4 March 2022. That day, fighting was taking place on the outskirts of the city and required reinforcement of our positions. REN was tasked with meeting the enemy. He assembled a GShR from his platoon and moved out in the “Spartan” armored vehicle. But unexpectedly, an enemy tank outflanked them. As the GShR approached the designated point, the enemy tank destroyed the “Spartan” together with the crew, including REN. By decree of the President, Sergeant Stepan Chuiko was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage”, 3rd Class. A capable commander, a persistent and fair warrior with always smiling eyes. In memory of the “Azov” fighter REN.