I took my son’s ashes home

The eldest son of Nelia Shastun, a representative of “Women of Steel” NGO – died during the defense of his hometown Mariupol. The woman managed to find her son’s body only on August 3, 2022. To confirm that the body really belonged to her son, she had to have the DNA tested twice, because the first time results were lost. Nelia Shastun, a representative of “Women of Steel” NGO spoke about this during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

“He was cremated on August 25. Then the Patronage Service of the Azov Regiment asked me whether I was going to bury the urn with ashes or wait for the National Military Memorial Cemetery. I was confused, because my eldest son was killed, and the youngest was then in enemy captivity. And I took the urn with ashes home. That is, to the room in my sister’s house, where she let me stay. I lived with my son in one room. But my psyche was not ready for this.” Following the advice of her relatives Nelia Shastun buried her son on the land allocated by the head of the community.

“I plan to rebury my son at the National Military Memorial Cemetery. Because I believe that my child deserves it,” Nelia Shastun said during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news