Ukrainian Military Officer and Maidan Activist Shura “Yalta” Riazantseva Reported Killed

Ukrainian military officer Shura Riazantseva, callsign “Yalta,” has been killed.

Her death was reported by her sister Valeria Riazantseva. The cause and location are currently unknown. Shura turned 40 in June.

She participated in the 2013 Maidan Revolution of Dignity, playing a vital role in the Maidan by assisting the wounded. She joined the army on the first day of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and was taken as a prisoner by Russians a year later.

Riazantseva’s story was featured in the documentary film “The Feminine Face of the Revolution.” In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, she attempted to enter the peninsula but was captured by the Russians at a checkpoint and held for three days.

Before the full-scale invasion, she worked as a costume designer and stylist on television and in films. She worked with the actors of the show “Kvartal 95” and even President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself.

“Andriy Kuzma gave me my start. He believed in me. He always said and repeated that I should become a stylist. Well, you know how he is. And then I started my journey. It was 2006, after the Orange Revolution, and I gradually made my way to become one of the top 5 stylists in Ukraine and Russia, and I also worked with our president Volodymyr Oleksandrovich and the entire team,” Riazantseva said in an interview with Suspilne.

On February 24, 2022, she went to the Solomianskyi military enlistment office in Kyiv and was sent to Hostomel. Later, she went on to patrol the Solomianskyi district and help volunteers.

As a result, she joined the territorial defense unit, and in the last months of her life, she served in a new military unit under the Airborne Forces.

Believing in the immense strength of Ukrainian women, “Yalta” encouraged them to overcome their fear and join the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

“Girls, don’t be ashamed or afraid to join the ranks of the AFU and territorial defense. We have the big heart of a Ukrainian woman, courage, and bravery. We will fight for our husbands and children. I am sure that each of us has that core that no one can ever break. We are Ukrainian women! We are warriors! We will surely win!” she said in an interview with Novyi Kanal television channel.