In August 2026, Nataliia Sharun, a worker at Zaporizhstal, was killed because of a Russian attack on the industrial site. The Zaporizhstal team lost a colleague who was cherished for her kindness, sincerity and willingness to always lend a helping hand.

Nataliia was originally from the village of Primorske in the Vasylivka district of the Zaporizhzhia region. Over the course of her working life, she worked as a nurse, a postal operator, a goods packer and a process engineer. Her colleagues speak of her simply, with warmth and respect: Nataliia knew how to offer support and comfort and always found the right words in difficult moments.

She joined Zaporizhstal in June 2025 and trained as a ladle operator in the blast furnace shop. She settled into the team very quickly: her colleagues describe her as someone who is easy to work with and whom you can always count on. Andrii YATSENKO, senior blast furnace foreman, recalls:

"Nataliia was very responsible. She got on well with the team, was a true professional and always supported others. She never received any complaints during her entire time at the company. If anyone needed help, she never turned them down.” 

Nataliia MYROEVSKA, a friend of the killed Nataliia Sharun, had known her even before she started working at Zaporizhstal. At the plant, they became colleagues, and working together allowed them to get to know each other even better:

"She was an incredible person, beautiful both in appearance and in spirit. You wanted to share everything with her. She warmed everyone around her with her kindness, which is why she had so many friends, not just amongst her colleagues. People were drawn to Natasha. It is very hard to accept that she is no longer with us. A loss of her is like an open wound, the pain of which never goes away."

This is how Nataliia Sharun was known in her home village of Primorske too. Her fellow villagers valued her for her openness and kindness.

The woman also faced a personal ordeal in her life: she was awaiting the return from captivity of her beloved Yevhen, who, prior to the full-scale invasion, had also worked at Zaporizhstal in the gas shop. 

Following the death of Nataliia Sharun, the Zaporizhstal team remains by the side of our colleague’s family. The plant and the team have provided her loved ones with the necessary assistance and support, to organise a dignified farewell and pay tribute to her memory.

May the memory of our colleague Nataliia Sharun live on.