UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Nov. 26 — On Nov. 21, a special unit called Peaky Blinders said that Russian forces killed Maryna Vorontsova, callsign Laherta, during her service as a combat medic near Pokrovsk.
On Nov. 26, Laherta’s funeral took place in Kharkiv. People she served with and friends came to say goodbye.
Oleksandr Spitsyn, commander of a special Peaky Blinders unit, said that they have been serving in the Pokrovsk direction for over a year. A few days ago, they were on another combat mission. Oleksandr and the deputy commander arrived at the stabilization point where Maryna served.
“Maryna went to make us some tea. And suddenly, I just saw light,” said Oleksandr. That’s when the Russian missile hit the building.
“Maryna and I were in adjacent rooms. Someone, probably, made a decision… Perhaps there was a choice between taking me and Zhora (deputy commander) or her. But Maryna said she would go. She didn’t have enough time to come back, and she was killed,” said Oleksandr.
According to Oleksandr, Laherta joined the Peaky Blinders unit when its first commander Anton Spitsyn (Oleksandr’s brother) was in the hospital after being injured in combat.
She served in the unit for 10 months. For completing combat missions, she received a chevron, which is awarded for a minimum of 10 successful operations.
“At first, I simply gave her my brother’s chevron because she had been with him until his last minute. But she said, ‘I have to deserve it.’ She went to combat positions very often,” said Oleksandr.
A week before her death, Laherta rescued three civilians who had been seriously injured by Russian attack drones.
“She will help us from there. She can’t stop doing it,” said Yuliia, who was familiar with Maryna during her volunteer work.
They met when Maryna was volunteering at the “Kharkiv Station” charity foundation. When Russia started the full-scale invasion, they worked together and helped out in any way they could.
“The war came to Maryna in the Luhansk region. She understood what the Russian world was like and immediately moved away from there,” said one of her brothers in arms during his speech near the coffin.
He said that Maryna’s active approach to living didn’t allow her to just watch what was happening around. That is why she became a volunteer and then enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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