“Na, mom, I give you delicious food”: every day, the 7-year-old son of the deceased medicine of the Azov regiment raises his hand with candy to the sky

7-year-old Artemka misses her mother very much and puts her drawings next to her portrait every morning.

A sea of ​​tears, white and pink tulips, a son who seems to have matured in an instant and with small hands clings to the coffin of his dearest person - his mother. So in Svetlovodsk they said goodbye to combat medic Yulia Zubchenko. In civilian life, she received the education of a paramedic, after which the specialty of a pharmacist. In December 2020, after leaving the decree, Yulia signed a contract with the National Guard of Ukraine and joined the Azov separate special forces unit. A brave woman died in Mariupol from an air bomb in May last year. Only now the relatives managed to return her body as part of the exchange. Yulia, whose face never left a magical smile, left her 7-year-old son Artem, who misses his mother very much and puts pictures near her portrait every morning. Posthumously, a 27-year-old serviceman with the call sign “Siren” was awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree.

- Julia from childhood was distinguished by independence and a stable character, she took care of her brother, who was three years younger. told mother of the deceased Ludmila Zubchenko. She always reached for her mother. Even at school, Yulia declared that she wanted to save people, and after the ninth grade we went to Kremenchug to a medical college. I remember when we were passing by the pedagogical school, I asked Yulechka if she had changed her mind and could become a teacher better. However, the daughter said that this was out of the question. Yulia received a diploma as a paramedic in 2014, after which she received the profession of a pharmacist at the National University of Pharmacy in Kharkiv. She got married, gave birth to a son, but family life did not work out and the couple divorced. When the child was two years old, Julia went to work in a local pharmacy. However, she did not like such work, because it involved staying in one place, and her daughter had so much energy and enthusiasm that she quickly realized that this was not for her.

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“My daughter asked that if she died, we would raise Artemchik”

- Who influenced the daughter’s decision to join the army?

- It’s hard to say, but I know that Yulia had many friends in the Azov regiment, I admired their brotherhood, courage, and patriotism more than once. In 2020, the daughter announced that she was going to serve. We refused, but then we made a decision and supported it. I know that for two months she went through certain tests to prove that she had the appropriate knowledge and experience in saving others. Yulechka coped and in November signed a contract, becoming a combat medicine. After that, she was sent to serve near Mariupol. Artemchik and I often went to her, because Yulia was very upset by the separation from her son, but she was glad that she had finally found herself. She was called by her brothers and sisters “Siren”. And on her bulletproof vest was written “Cold mind, ardent heart.” These words are definitely about my daughter, because she clearly did her job and at the same time loved everyone passionately. Julia dreamed of having housing in Mariupol, taking her son to study there.

- It is difficult to imagine your state when a full-scale war began, and she found Yulia in Mariupol, where it was hot from the first day, people were dying, the military. What did you feel then, what did your daughter say?

- On December 30, 2022, Yulia visited Svetlovodsk. When I returned to Mariupol, for some reason it was so hard on my soul. The daughter reassured, they say, April 1 is a vacation, and she will come again. She was waiting for the summer to take Artyomka to the sea and collect him in the first class. All plans were destroyed by the damned war. At first, I thought that the Ukrainian fighters would be able to quickly unblock the city and get out of there alive. Then she cried. Julia has repeatedly emphasized that no one will give up. The phone was constantly near me, even at night I woke up because I was afraid to miss a call from Yulia. But after March 5, it was no longer possible to call, the mobile tower was destroyed. Three days of silence, it seemed that I would go crazy. But then my daughter wrote to me from somewhere: “Mommy, everything is fine, there is no connection.” Then, ten days later, another living message from her. At Azovstal, the soldiers were malnourished, there was not enough water.

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Yulechka missed her son very much and asked to take care of him. She said more than once that in the event of her death, her son should not be given to her ex-husband, who has a new family and a newborn child. My daughter asked us to raise Artemchik. Hearing such words from Yulia was very painful, her heart was breaking from helplessness. At the end of March, my daughter wrote to me that she had suffered a shell shock the day before. They left to pick up the wounded and were fired upon by the invaders. Glasses, stones flew, and the daughter, despite this, fled in a bulletproof vest. She was shell-shocked, her brothers took her to the hospital. Having come to her senses, Julia again returned to duty to save others. She was so happy that everyone she helped survived. Once in a message she wrote that she believes in fate, and if they are destined to get out of the bunkers, then it will happen. And I answered her: “You must live, we are waiting for you and love you.” We had a very warm relationship, I thanked the Lord every day for giving me such a golden child. My husband and I did not have children for a long time, so Yulechka is our first-born, a begged and desired girl.

Almost a year after the death, the relatives managed to return the body of Yulia as part of the exchange.

What do you know about the circumstances of Julia’s death?

- On May 7, my daughter sent me 5 stickers with images of hearts and bears lying on the mattress. She also added that these funny animals are we hugging him, because the most expensive people in the world. It was touching to tears. So at that moment I wanted to hug my daughter and never let go again. Yulechka promised that there would still be such an opportunity and asked to kiss Artemchik. On May 8, she asked me to be careful, because the occupiers might be preparing something for May 9. However, on the same day, she was gone. In the bunker where the hospital was located, the invaders were hit by an aerial bomb. On May 11, I was informed that my daughter had died. Didn’t believe. I contacted the patronage service, they confirmed it.

- Did you have any hope that perhaps your daughter is alive and just being held captive?

- No Unfortunately. I knew that there was little chance of getting out of this bunker alive. As far as I know, there were 68 victims that day after the bombing. The patronage service of “Azov” reported that before the captivity, Yulia’s brothers dug up the rubble and made sure that there were no survivors left, everything burned to the ground. Then we managed to find the bodies of four soldiers - three men and my daughter. Therefore, my husband and I took DNA and waited … In January 2023, we were told that there was a match. Then a difficult identification procedure.

- How does the grandson survive the loss of his mother?

- We told him that Yulechka had died. On the first day, he cried all the time. Then he began to say that mommy is in heaven. He wakes up in the morning, eats a candy and pulls his hands up with the words “Here, mom, I give you a treat.” And now he paints on a patriotic theme and makes up everything for the portrait of his daughter. Artemchik has matured a lot, he asks us to help the military, because his mother died saving them. The boy goes to first grade, we arrange guardianship with her husband and we will raise our Cossack the way Yulia bequeathed - strong, courageous and with the same sensitive heart as hers..

We will remind, earlier “FACTS” wrote - “Ukraine should know his story!”: A friend spoke about the heroic colonel of the SBU who died in Mariupol.