“I'm no hero”: story of Yanis Tereshchenko, Ukrainian soldier who saved life in Venice

“I was just walking down the street and saw a man bleeding heavily. I applied a tourniquet and held him as he started losing consciousness. It lasted about 15 minutes. There was nothing complicated or heroic about it,” he said.

The Italian citizen, whose life was saved by Yanis Tereshchenko photo: corrieredelveneto.it.

Initially, Tereshchenko hoped to remain anonymous, but within hours, the Italian media misidentified him as a “Russian tourist.” To correct the false narrative, the soldier revealed his identity and used the opportunity to draw attention to the ongoing war against Ukraine.

“I am Ukrainian, a Ukrainian soldier, on leave, and I am returning to Ukraine. If I am mentioned, I will speak out. Why? To fight Russian propaganda, even in the information space,” Tereshchenko explained.

photo: personal archive of Yanis Tereshchenko

Tereshchenko has served in the Third Army Corps for over three years. Before the war, he worked as a teacher and tutor, but with the start of the full-scale invasion, he consciously chose to join the military.

“I chose this particular unit because I believed in its command and knew that I would never be left to fend for myself,” says Tereshchenko.

photo: personal archive of Yanis Tereshchenko

Although he initially planned to work with drones, he was offered a position in reconnaissance. There, he quickly realized the scale and complexity of the tasks: analyzing data, identifying enemy forces, and constantly improving his technical skills. During this time, he has been deployed to hotspots ranging from Slobozhanshchyna in northeastern Ukraine to Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

Despite fatigue and danger, Tereshchenko’s motivation remains unwavering.

“I am a man, I am a father, I am a citizen. No one can come to my house and say it belongs to someone else but me. I will kill for it,” he emphasizes.

The soldier believes that every Ukrainian must contribute to the country’s defense. 

“People are losing their children, their homes, their cities are being reduced to dust. What more motivation could there be?” he says.

photo: personal archive of Yanis Tereshchenko

When asked about the future after victory, Tereshchenko replies simply: “I don’t know, but I have to.” He dreams of seeing his friends alive and well and spending more time with his son.

“A strong Ukrainian army is the key to our security,” concludes the scout. It is thanks to soldiers like Yanis Tereshchenko that the Ukrainian army is currently at its strongest.