10 November 2026
(IMAGE: Intent)
Oleg Ivanovich Shmarko, a soldier in the 123rd Brigade with the call sign “Voron,” was killed on June 23, 2023, near Velykyi Potemkin Island in the Kherson region. On that day, the soldier was carrying out a combat mission alongside reconnaissance troops. On their way back, their boat struck a river mine.
Intent continues its series of publications about fallen defenders, “Heroes Never Die.”
Oleg Shmarko’s wife, Alla Oleksandrivna, and his comrade-in-arms Vasyl Romaniuk, codenamed “Kherson,” spoke about his life and service.
“We met when we were still students,” recalls Alla Shmarko. “I knew that Oleg was born near the town of Ochakiv in the Mykolaiv region and had gone out to sea many times with his father in a boat to fish. His ability to navigate the water later proved very helpful to him during combat operations.
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PHOTO provided by the interviewees
Oleg was an entrepreneur: he repaired cars and sold auto parts. It all started with a small shop. Then the business gradually expanded to include more equipment and services. And everyone knew he could fix just about any machine.
Oleg also loved cycling and participated in competitions.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
Our daughter was born in 2003. Margarita, like her father, devoted a lot of time to sports. First, she did diving, and then she took up kickboxing. In this martial art, she earned the title of Master of Sports. Our daughter is just as determined as her father. And fairness is also very important to her.
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PHOTO provided by the interviewees
When the full-scale invasion began, Oleg and his colleagues at the auto repair shop quickly finished repairing all the cars so they could return them to their owners. He then tried to join the territorial defense forces. At first, they wouldn’t accept him because he hadn’t even completed his mandatory military service. Both of his parents had disabilities, but even that didn’t stop him. He was very determined.
Oleg tried to help in any way he could, donating binoculars or a cartridge belt to the Territorial Defense Forces. On February 27, he was finally accepted into the Armed Forces, and almost immediately, the Territorial Defense Forces had to defend Mykolaiv from the Russian invasion. Oleg’s unit was sent to defend the Shyroobalsky Bridge—a key structure connecting the city’s Korabelny District with other parts of the city. Oleg recalls how enemy tanks advanced toward his unit, which was armed only with assault rifles. But no one retreated.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
In the fall of 2022, Oleg joined a combined assault battalion formed from fighters of the 123rd and 59th Brigades. As an operator of an anti-tank missile system (ATMS), he took part in the liberation of the right bank of the Kherson region and the regional capital. He knew how to organize and motivate the people around him because he himself was highly motivated.
Our army began capturing islands on the Dnipro River, and Oleg’s skills in operating boats and navigating the terrain proved invaluable. Since childhood, he had been assembling and repairing boat motors and knew them inside and out. He could even fix a motor while out on the water. He was the first in his unit to carry out several evacuations.
He even developed his own procedure for evacuating the wounded from the islands in the Kherson floodplains and trained his comrades in it. Special operations forces enlisted Oleg to carry out complex missions.
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PHOTO provided by interviewees
When the Kakhovka Dam was blown up, Oleg rescued people and delivered food to the islands and in Kherson itself.
Oleg’s favorite book was Vasyl Shklyar’s historical novel *Marusya*; he often repeated the phrase: “Courage is where there is love.” This inscription is engraved on his grave.
“We served together in a combined assault company,” recalls his comrade Vasyl Romanyuk. “He was our driver—that is, he transported fighters by boat to their positions and then brought them back. I know he’s been familiar with boats since childhood.
Oleg was always so positive. He never turned anything down—no task was too much for him. He always wanted to be doing something; he never wanted to sit around; he wanted to be useful. And he himself wanted to join the assault company.
The Special Operations Forces (SSO) included him in their rotations. You could say he practically lived at that dock. He was always busy.
Whenever our platoon commander was away, he always left Oleg in charge. He could have been a capable officer. And a compassionate one—he always listened to people.
Oleg went out with our scouts that day; they had to storm the enemy positions. And on the way back, they hit that ill-fated river mine.
Oleg is a true hero because he served as a volunteer from day one. He helped his comrades in every way. Thanks to people like him, the army was able to save the country back then.”
Антон Терехов