“People Recognize Me on the Street”: The Story of Yana Stepanenko from Donetsk Region Has Become Part of the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

Yana Stepanenko’s story has moved the world. On April 8, 2022, she was waiting for an evacuation train in Kramatorsk together with her mother and her brother Yaroslav. A sudden missile strike claimed the lives of 61 people, and another 121 were injured. As a result of the tragedy, Yana lost both of her legs, and her mother lost one limb. Yana shared her story with the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

The girl recalls those terrifying events: the family was trying to evacuate from the settlement of New York in Donetsk region to a safer area. The nearest departure station was Kramatorsk. At that fatal moment, Yana stepped onto the station square together with her mother — and the family’s life changed forever.

“From my family, my mother and I were injured. My brother was not, because he stayed inside with our belongings,” Yana says.

Treatment after the severe injury lasted for more than half a year. Then Yana went to the United States for rehabilitation, where she later took her first steps on prosthetic legs. At first, the girl walked for half an hour, gradually increasing the time. Before returning to Ukraine, she was fitted with running prostheses — this became a true breakthrough and made it possible for her to live an active life.

Today, Yana takes part in prestigious international marathons. In 2024, she ran 5 kilometers on prostheses during the Boston Marathon, and in 2025 she covered the same distance at the Tokyo Friendship Run. Her story has become a symbol of the resilience and strength of spirit of Ukrainians.

“Often people recognize me on the street, come up to me, greet me, and say words of support. It is very pleasant for me,” Yana shares.

Recently, she also received an apartment from Rinat Akhmetov — her own space for rehabilitation, training, and recovery.

“We met Rinat Akhmetov when he invited us to see him. We talked, had lunch, spoke about marathons and my dreams. I am sincerely grateful that he gave us an apartment. Now new opportunities have opened up for me,” the girl says.

Watch Yana’s story here: https://bit.ly/48o7FAB

The collection of the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation already numbers more than 140,000 stories about the war. This is the largest collection in the world of testimonies from civilians affected by russia’s war against Ukraine.

Share your story as well — on the Museum’s portal:  https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/  or call the toll-free hotline: 0 800 509 001.