On the YouTube channel “Visiting Gordon” there was an interview with the defender of Mariupol, military medic of “Azov” Tatyana Teplyuk with the call sign Khreschen, who survived the defense of “Azovstal” and the captivity of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation.
During a conversation with the founder of the online publication “GORDON” Dmitry Gordon, Teplyuk spoke about:
- a hungry childhood, a 45-year marriage and service in Afghanistan;
- participation in the Revolution of Dignity;
- the decision to join Azov and move to Mariupol;
- the origin of your call sign;
- events at Azovstal and the defense of Mariupol in 2022;
- commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” Hero of Ukraine Denis Prokopenko (call sign Radish);
- captivity in Olenovka and Tagarnrog;
- torture in captivity: how they played Russian propaganda, played Oleg Gazmanov’s songs and forced them to sing the Russian anthem;
- the last day in captivity and return to Ukraine;
- apartment from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
“We don’t need to look for and wait for paradise. The Lord God has already settled us in paradise. We just need to take care of this paradise. And now we need to defend it,” Teplyuk said.
74-year-old Teplyuk is a Ukrainian military medic with the call sign “Khreshchena”, a defender of Mariupol and a participant in the defense of Azovstal. Before the full-scale war, she worked as an operating room nurse and served in Afghanistan, where she gained extensive medical and life experience.
During the Russian siege of Mariupol, Teplyuk helped the wounded and civilians, organized the work of first-aid posts and supported the Ukrainian military in extremely difficult conditions. After the defenders left Azovstal, she was captured in Russia, where she spent several months. She was released on December 31, 2022, and after returning she continued her service, helping the Ukrainian military in rear units.
