1989–2022
Vitalii Blazhko
Sniper commander “Khvat”
He lost both feet, and less than three months later he was back at the front on prostheses. Major Vitalii “Khvat” Blazhko built Azov’s sniper unit and defended Mariupol from the first day of the full-scale war. Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
Key accomplishments
- In 2015 set up Azov’s sniper platoon, which grew into a sniper group in 2018; commanded it throughout
- After a 2019 wound that cost him both feet, turned down disability status and went back to a combat post
- Defended Mariupol from the first day of the full-scale invasion; promoted to major ahead of schedule
- Full holder of the Order for Courage (2015, 2019, 2022); Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd class (2022, posthumously)
- Hero of Ukraine (posthumously; Decree No. 496/2023)
How do you fight without feet?
Vitalii Blazhko was badly wounded in spring 2019 on the Svitlodarsk salient in Donbas, and doctors had to amputate both his feet. He could have registered as disabled and left the service. But then he could no longer have held a combat post, so he refused. Less than three months later “Khvat” was back with Azov, this time on carbon prostheses.
Khvat’s snipers
Vitalii was born in 1989 in Odesa, studied at an Interior Ministry academy in Kharkiv and served in law enforcement. In spring 2015 he joined Azov, and that summer he set up a sniper platoon in the unit. In 2018 the platoon was expanded into a sniper group. Blazhko commanded it the whole time: he trained the newcomers himself, planned every mission and preferred the positions to the headquarters, going out alongside his men.
Mariupol
From the first day of the full-scale invasion, Khvat’s group defended Mariupol as part of the Azov regiment, commanded by Denys Prokopenko. The snipers blew up bridges in the enemy’s path and set ambushes to buy time for the city’s defence. When the fighting reached the streets, Blazhko scouted with a drone and directed his snipers. For their work in Mariupol he was promoted to major ahead of schedule. After his fourth wound he refused to be evacuated, including by helicopter, and stayed with his comrades.
Major Vitalii Blazhko was killed on 8 May 2022 at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, when a russian aerial bomb hit a bunker. He was 32.
Why it matters today
Vitalii Blazhko built Azov’s sniper unit and taught his soldiers by example: not from headquarters, but out at the positions beside them. After losing both feet he came back to the ranks and showed that even a severe wound doesn’t have to end a soldier’s service. In Mariupol his snipers bought time for the city’s defence, and he would not leave his comrades even after his fourth wound. His story is about staying true to your people and your work.
