Evgenia Puzykova

“The war changed the life of the whole family twice. The children lost their father, I lost my husband, the parents lost their son… However, if you live with this pain for a long time, you can drive yourself to a place where there is no return. And I want to go further, to help our boys, because they are also someone's children. But thanks to them we have the most valuable thing - our lives”

Having gone through trials twice, Yevheniya found the strength to help others as a facilitator on the principle of "equal-to-equal". On this path, she was helped by psychologists from the TAPS Foundation and a community of like-minded mothers, wives and children, for whom it is worth living on.

Since 2004, he has been doing military service and signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2008-2009, he was part of the peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, where he received a through and numerous shrapnel wounds that could not be removed. These injuries hardened him.

In 2013, he resigned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and signed a contract with the Ministry of Emergencies, where he served until 2016.

In 2019, observing the events in the East, he re-signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and began fighting as part of the 53rd Separate Brigade (24th Battalion). Unfortunately, this contract was his last. Oleksandr, with the call sign “Arab”, was killed near the city of Shumy, Donetsk region, on May 24, 2019.

After the death of his husband, his brothers said that they owed him their lives, so he is a hero not only for us, but also for them. When the mortar shelling began, he drove everyone into cover, and he himself reached for the military telephone, and then received a fatal shrapnel wound right in the heart.

As a reminder, I have our youngest son, who is very similar to his dad - both in appearance, character, and behavior. In Andriy’s room, a flag with the image of our hero hangs on the wall. My son is very proud of his dad. On the Red Stone, on the Alley of Heroes near the Varus store, Andriy and I planted a tree in memory of our Defender Oleksandr Puzykov, who was the first to die in 2019.

In Dnipro, on the Alley of Memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the Fallen Soldiers of the ATO, there is a photo of our dad and husband. We go there because it is impossible to go to the grave in Nikopol — the Rashts are shelled every day.

The war changed the life of the whole family. The children lost their father, I lost my husband, the parents lost their son …

It is still hard for me to say this.

And then I plunged into work. I am also a serviceman and I had business trips to the east.

Andriy is the youngest son, the loss of his father began to bother me.

The eldest son, Alexey, withdrew into himself, but on occasion, with friends, he constantly went to Nikopol to visit his father's grave. When the full-scale invasion began, the son decided to join the army without hesitation.

My eldest son, Alexey Sviridonov, was born on June 20, 2001 in the city of Dnipro. The boy was a gifted child. He started talking and walking at nine months, sang songs at one year old, and read books at four years old.

In 2016, he graduated from school and entered the College of Rocket and Space Engineering of the Dnipro National University. For his intelligence and knowledge, he became a favorite of the teachers. He graduated from college successfully and dreamed of visiting the UK. This dream came true during his preparation for the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023.

Alexey was fond of music, had a band with his friends, wrote poems and songs, for which he composed music. His big hobby was tattoos. At first he did them for himself, and then for his friends and comrades during his service. He did it very well.

Oleksiy signed a contract with the 24th King Danylo Motorized Rifle Brigade and served in the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the Separate Reconnaissance Platoon.

Young guys aged 18-23 were the first to take on the liberation of the Toretsk waste dumps. One of the first tasks was bright - they removed the flag of the Rashists from the waste dumps and were very proud of it. The guys went on missions together and completed them successfully, as they recall.

But October 31, 2023 was the last mission for my son, my “Maiden”. He received the call sign “Maiden” in civilian life for the tattoo “Made in Ukraine” on the back of his head.

Oleksiy died saving his comrade “Loki”. The boy survived, although he lost his right arm and leg. However, “Loki” is grateful to my son for his life. We maintain contact with his brother’s siblings, and they come to visit us. This is very important for our family.

For the younger Andriy, the loss of his brother was difficult, because the older Oleksiy replaced his father for him, they had a very warm and trusting relationship.

As a mother who gave birth to and raised her firstborn, it is very difficult for me to bear my pain. In memory of my eldest son, I aim to fulfill his dream - to open a tattoo parlor.

“TAPS” is a powerful community that unites not only wives and mothers, but also children who are experiencing the pain of loss. “TAPS” has wonderful psychologists who help overcome difficult situations and promote communication between families.

Our psychologists have trained some mothers to independently lead peer-to-peer groups, which inspires me personally to help others, because I myself have gone through a difficult path of loss. I have found warm support in TAPS among women who have experienced the same thing. We communicate a lot, support each other and help our boys, and psychologists accompany us. This communication helps us emerge from the abyss of sadness and move forward towards life.