01 October 2025

Gennadiy Afanasyev, a soldier from Crimea who was killed in action, has been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine

On October 1, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a Decree conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine with the “Golden Star” Order on Gennadiy Serhiyovych Afanasyev, a fallen defender from Crimea.

Gennadiy Afanasyev, call sign “Tor”, was born in Simferopol, Ukraine. He studied law at the Tavrida National V. I. Vernadsky University and worked as a photographer before the beginning of the occupation. Following the events of February 2014, he became an active participant in protests against the occupation in Crimea.

On May 9, 2014, officers of Russia’s FSB illegally detained Afanasyev in Simferopol, subjected him to brutal torture, and forced him to provide false testimony in the so-called “Sentsov case” alongside Oleg Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, and Oleksiy Chyrniy. He spent over a year in Moscow’s Lefortovo pre-trial detention center, enduring psychological and physical pressure. Ultimately, the occupiers sentenced him to seven years in a high-security penal colony. On June 14, 2016, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange.

After his release, Afanasyev became a Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for Prisoner Release Issues, engaged in human rights advocacy, spoke at international platforms, and authored the book “Rise After the Fall.” In it, he described his abduction, torture, imprisonment, and transformation from a victim into an active defender of others’ rights, making the book a testament to resilience and a reminder of the price of freedom.

With the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Gennadiy Afanasyev was killed in action defending Ukraine and its territorial integrity. His courage, dedication, and devotion to the Ukrainian people have become a symbol of the heroism of our defenders.