Everything will be fine! In memory of Yevheniy Yenin

 

Everything will be fine! In memory of Yevheniy Yenin

Everything should be done, said and thought

as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life.

Marcus Aurelius “Alone with Myself”

 

This is exactly the case when you wish you had known this man personally. However, thanks to the flashbacks of his family, friends and colleagues, Yevheniy’s memory is preserved. These flashbacks, short stories, and highlights of his life have made a portrait of diplomat Yevheniy Yenin.

In December 2022, Yevheniy Yenin was awarded the Order of Rio Branco, Brazil’s highest state honor. Colleagues of the diplomat think back that Yevheniy saw the importance and necessity of increasing mutually beneficial cooperation with Brazil in the economic and political landscapes. And it was to Brazil that one of his last visits as Deputy Foreign Minister took place. Shortly afterwards, he took up the post of First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

 

According to domestic diplomats, Yevheniy Yenin has always been active in establishing Ukraine’s international cooperation with foreign countries and continued these efforts even when working in other government agencies. Unfortunately, he failed to realize all his plans.

Yevheniy did not have time to receive the award in person due to his tragic death in a terrible plane crash on January 18, 2023, in Brovary. In December 2023, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil to Ukraine Norton de Andrade Mello Rapesta presented the high order to his wife Lyudmyla Yenina and his son Vladyslav Yenin.

It is symbolic that the award was presented on the Day of Diplomatic Service, to which Yevheniy has devoted most of his life having risen from an ordinary diplomat to Deputy Foreign Minister. He joined the diplomatic service in 2005 at the Embassy of Ukraine in Moldova. In 2010, he moved to the central office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yevheniy worked as a counselor at the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy. He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (April 15, 2020 - September 6, 2021).

“Speaking of Yevheniy, he was a civil servant from the very beginning, starting with his education, continuing with his work in the Foreign Intelligence Service, then working abroad, moving to the Foreign Service, working overseas as an envoy advisor, then the Prosecutor General’s Office, and then the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and finally the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” Lyudmyla Yenina began her story.

Independence in everything, clear thinking, foresight of events far in advance, prudent management in everything, down to the smallest detail, without a shadow of arrogance because of your abilities.

Marcus Aurelius “Alone with Myself”

Sometimes it happens that one, from one’s young age, consciously or subconsciously, is interested in certain topics, areas of science, or simply chooses a role model. And then the circumstances turn out to be such that this very knowledge, analysis of these very facts, or statements of this very historical figure at some point inspire new ideas, create a new reality, or come in handy at the most critical moment of life. Yevheniy was fascinated by the history of ancient Rome, Emperor Marcus Aurelius was his favorite historical character, and the work “Alone with Myself” became his desk book. “Yevheniy shared many of the mindset views of this historical figure. During a foreign business trip to Rome, I sometimes thought that in some past life he had already lived there – so thoroughly did Yevheniy know the past of the capital of the Roman Empire. And a small bust of Marcus Aurelius purchased at a flea market in Rome was always on his desk. Yevheniy loved to wander the ancient streets of Rome and visit the Roman Forum. He would go inside, lie down on the ground, spread his arms and legs, and look up at the sky. And it seemed as if he was connecting with this ground stitched with special threads to the past,” says Lyudmyla.

Therefore, Yenin’s appointment to Italy was absolutely logical, although the diplomat was initially preparing to work in London. Yevheniy liked the diplomatic work in Italy, which, incidentally, coincided with the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea. These were the first challenges, there were almost no resources in the embassies, and much was based on personal enthusiasm. It was necessary to have a balanced contact with diplomats of other embassies, including those that are our partners today. Yevheniy Yenin was a man with strategic thinking, and first of all in diplomacy. And there were many cases when decisions had to be made on an ad hoc basis.

Lyudmyla Yenina thinks back: “Of course, the very fact of aggression, the annexation of the territory of Ukraine was difficult and painful for us. Our souls ached for Kyiv. And especially when you met a huge crowd outside the Ukrainian embassy whose questions were difficult to answer. But Yevheniy always managed to respond to such difficult communication challenges, because he was very sincere in his actions. Together with our children, we took part in all the rallies: at the Russian Embassy in Rome, at the American Embassy. I mean we were using all ways possible, both diplomatic and by becoming the voice of ordinary Ukrainians abroad; we joined and coordinated Ukraine’s communication with the world. To this day, I have been maintaining those good relations with Ukrainians in Italy established during the Rome period.”

Another example of such a prophetic hobby was Yenin’s interest in literature about World War II and military topics in general. I think his analytical mindset and out-of-the-box thinking were the source for the idea of drones as a priority weapon.

According to Lyudmyla Yenina, Yevheniy watched all the movies about World War II with great interest, read literature, and was fascinated by military affairs from his childhood, and then studied historical literature. And when the full-scale invasion began, he transformed many of the ideas from World War II into new modern solutions. He had a vision. He was the first to believe in drones, to actively lobby for them, and this was his merit. Yevheniy simply lived the idea of drones. He communicated directly with both UAV developers and operators. He also convinced everyone that unmanned aerial vehicles are the future and that this is the way to fight a war. Every time he returned from the front line, he was deeply reflective but at the same time inspired to think rationally and invent new methods in this disproportionate battle that Ukraine is waging against the aggressor. Unfortunately, his passion for the idea of UAVs, his full involvement in the idea of creating drones, and even his death are all connected to this story.

“With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, each of his working days started before 6 a.m. and ended after 12 a.m. I didn’t understand how it was possible to work with such a schedule,” says Lyudmyla. – “Full dedication, concentration on solving the problems that were endlessly arising, and absolute faith in victory were the things that guided Yevheniy Yenin. When I asked him how he could maintain such a pace, he replied that it was a very crucial moment and that there was no other way, we had to save the country. And we did save it!”

He spent most of his working time on business trips to the front line where he helped not only to maintain the morale and motivation of Ukrainian heroes, but also made a significant contribution to the development of unmanned aircraft in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Yevheniy, same as Denys Monastyrskyi, and the entire team, wanted to do more, to be more productive, and to be omnipresent. They were people of their time, people of the modern challenge, and they did everything right and accurately: both in terms of strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities and ensuring the support of international partners.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2021-2024), says: “The idea of drones was announced in the late spring of 2022 when we had just run out of ammunition. And literally the next day, Zhenya Yenin appeared and told us his vision of it. Together with Monastyrskyi, they invited us to the training center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And while we were only discussing the idea in our offices, Denys and Zhenya were already moving things forward, having sensed the future. They believed in the idea of innovation, and drones are an innovative solution.”

According to Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Denys Monastyrskyi and Yevheniy Yenin saw as far back as in May-June 2022 what is happening on the battlefield today. “When no one believed in it, when these ideas seemed strange, we started already to cooperate, invest, look for resources, and unite partners to develop the first drone units, and with technologies that no one could even think of at that time.”

The leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Davyd Arakhamia, believes that it was Yenin and Monastyrskyi who charged the heads of other units and the leadership with the idea of attack drones that could destroy enemy equipment every day, that this was our asymmetric advantage in this war because we could not match our resources. Yevheniy really cared about it. And the drone army that Fedorov is currently leading is the result of the successful pilot project by Denys Monastyrskyi and Yevheniy Yenin.

On Yevheniy’s grave, there is a symbolic image of a Baba Yaga copter-type drone. This drone destroys orcs and their equipment every day. Yenin, along with Monastyrskyi, made a huge contribution to our country’s drone shield. Thanks to this, it was possible to scale up the use of unmanned aircraft of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to perform combat missions along the entire front line causing devastating losses of manpower and equipment of the Russian aggressor. Consequently, as of July 18, 2023, more than 1,300 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery systems, and TOR missile systems worth more than $1.7 billion have been destroyed.

In the face of an extraordinary challenge for Ukraine, for all of us, Yevheniy Yenin, as Denys Monastyrskyi’s first deputy, had truly unique experience and the courage to make drastic and difficult decisions. This was the peak, the culmination of his work in the civil service over the years. His managerial experience and work in various services gave him the opportunity to initiate certain ideas and make extremely difficult decisions, given the structure and areas for which he was directly responsible in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. That’s why the Minister of Internal Affairs used to entrust Yevheniy  with such critical areas of work.

 

Concentrate every minute like a Roman – like a man – on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice.

Marcus Aurelius “Alone with Myself”

The ability to see the situation from different angles, to go beyond established views and opinions, to find a non-standard solution that would ultimately benefit Ukraine, was manifested at different times in Yevheniy Yenin’s career. According to the Head of the Internal Security Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Yevhen Pikalov, “Yevheniy was able to adapt to any challenge. His mind, like a Swiss knife, had many tools for solving radically different problems or tasks. Perhaps, that is why the Foreign Minister entrusted Yevheniy with, among other things, the most difficult and strategic direction for our country – bilateral relations with the United States. The work in this area alone would have been enough to keep him busy day and night. In addition, it was a great responsibility that required a deep understanding of the dynamics of international relations. Anyone who knew Yevheniy understands that he was a tireless fighter whose results were always significant for our country.

Therefore, his work also covered legal proceedings against the terrorist Russia and strengthening relations with Asian countries, which emphasizes his ability to effectively manage various international challenges. Add to this the supervision of the largest department in the central office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – the Consular Service – and the Department of International Law, and it becomes clear that it is impossible to single out one particular case where Yevheniy Yenin has shown himself best. He constantly revealed himself and grew as a diplomat while fulfilling his duties in this responsible position. Every day brought new tasks and challenges, and Yevheniy Yenin successfully coped with them demonstrating his expertise in various areas of diplomatic work.

But the most interesting thing about Yevheniy, in my opinion, is his unique fusion of diplomacy and law enforcement experience. There was something mysterious about him that was not typical of the diplomatic world – elegant, intelligent, and always ready for out-of-the-box solutions. His “investigative” thinking helped him untangle the most complex tangles of international relations from different angles. This experience allowed him to develop strategies and build contacts more effectively than traditional diplomats could, while offering a fresh perspective on international relations. He was able to think in a panoramic, spherical way, to look at every problem from different perspectives.”

Frightened of change? But what can exist without it?

Marcus Aurelius “Alone with Myself”

Yevheniy Yenin was focused on fulfilling his duty, not on the glory that comes with fulfilling that duty. He led the way, was a leader, and was not afraid of challenges and changes. In June 2016, Yevheniy was appointed Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine with authority over international cooperation in criminal proceedings. In particular, he was responsible for identifying, seizing and returning criminal assets to Ukraine, searching for and extraditing fugitives to Ukraine, and extraditing offenders at the request of foreign countries. He also coordinated Ukraine’s cooperation with the International Criminal Court. Among the results of his work is the confiscation of $1.5 billion worth of property belonging to Yanukovych’s criminal organization. It was indeed a difficult but great victory, which he later spoke about with pride. In 2017, Yevheniy Yenin was awarded the Order of Merit, third class, by a decree of the President of Ukraine.

“Competent, energetic, patriotic, pro-NATO – he became the youngest Deputy Prosecutor General. The level of international partnership has improved dramatically. He has made a huge contribution to the confiscation of $4 billion of criminal assets over the period of our team’s work. But for me, Zhenya became not just an effective leader, but a close friend. He was open and not bronzed, sincere and cheerful. In fact, he became the leader of the young generation of prosecutors, and in his free time, life and soul of the party,” says Yuriy Lutsenko, his immediate supervisor at the time.

Yevheniy had a favorite phrase that sometimes there comes a time when you need to take your old sneakers off the wall, put them on and run again. And life led him back to the diplomatic service, only in a different rank.

Yevheniy Yenin took up his post as Deputy Foreign Minister in September 2020. Introducing his deputy, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba outlined his terms of reference: “Yevheniy will supervise the cases of the shot-down flights MH17 and PS752 in Iran, as well as the legal prosecution of the aggressor state in international courts. He already has more than solid experience in this area – three years before that, he worked at the Prosecutor General’s Office collecting and submitting evidence of Russia’s violations of international law to international courts. At the beginning of his career, Yevheniy spent almost a decade working on the Transnistrian conflict and received the third class award “For Courage” (the award speaks for itself). This gives him a deep understanding of the threats and pitfalls of conflict resolution that one should not fall into.”

In addition to the legal unit, Yevheniy was in charge of the American and Asian directions of Ukraine’s foreign policy and the consular service, primarily the launch of the Electronic Consul system. At the Foreign Ministry, Yenin also oversaw major special operations in foreign countries. He was entrusted with coordinating the special operation to return Ukrainian women who were hostages of the Islamic State terrorist organization and their children from Syria to Ukraine in December 2020.

And on the eve of the first round of talks in Kyiv with the Iranian delegation on the downed UIA PS752, Yevheniy  broke his leg and underwent a complicated surgery. And for five hours, despite the doctors’ prohibition, he negotiated in a plaster cast and with metal pins in his leg. Yevheniy Yenin said about those negotiations: “I want to say that these are some of the most difficult negotiations in my career. But even in such a situation, there is a solution – the international court.”

After the radical Islamist movement Taliban seized control of the country in early August 2021, locals and foreigners began to flee Afghanistan en masse. Different countries tried to evacuate their citizens. Yevheniy was responsible for operational actions and decisions on the return of Ukrainians. On August 27, the Ukrainian military helped to evacuate almost 400 people from Kabul. The vast majority of them were Afghans, and only 80 were Ukrainian citizens. Meeting the plane from Kabul in Kyiv, Yevheniy told reporters: “The main message is that Ukraine does not abandon its people.”

Lyudmyla Yenina recalls this period: “There was an interesting story about Angelina Jolie’s friend, an Afghan film director, who was evacuated from Kabul to Kyiv at the star’s personal request. At that time, foreign diplomats were also evacuated by the Ukrainian plane. It was a very difficult situation there, because it was a completely uncontrolled story, chaos, people were clinging to the wings of the planes just to get out of there somehow. On top, internal corruption in this country. Complex negotiations were ongoing, and everyone’s nervous system was on edge. It was a very difficult challenge and a difficult case. I also remember this, because, of course, all these experiences are transferred to the family as well.”

 

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.

Marcus Aurelius “Alone with Myself”

A long journey, hard work, and many business trips abroad. But despite everything, family values were of utmost importance to Yevheniy. He was understanding and respectful of his wife’s career development: “Family is a joint game: someone stands on the goal, and someone scores a goal,” Yevheniy liked to repeat. According to Yuriy Lutsenko’s memories, “Zhenya loved his wife Lyudmyla most of all, he was proud of her, and he always emphasized that for him, a native of Dnipro, his wife from Volyn gave him the impetus to speak and think in Ukrainian.”

“Yevheniy is a part of my heart, my friend, life partner, like-minded person, advisor, and father of my children. In addition, he is certainly a man of high moral and professional qualities who has always fulfilled his duty to the state in good faith and with dedication. In general, a person is an act, not words, but actions. He really had a lot of noble deeds and qualities that were admirable and attractive. But for me personally, Yevheniy’s most outstanding quality was his big and kind heart, his humanity. He was a man who found it difficult to say ‘no’ to others,” Lyudmyla Yenina recalls.

Most of all, Yevheniy liked to spend his leisure time with his family, wife and children. And when his friends asked him about his hobbies, he said: “My biggest hobby is just being with my wife, going for a walk, talking, exchanging views on what is happening in the world and the country.” He missed spending time with his family, so he literally tried to spend every free minute at home with his wife and children. “We loved walking the streets of old Kyiv and exchanging ideas about what life would be like after the victory,” his wife Lyudmyla Yenina thinks back. - “I also remember with special warmth our Sunday breakfasts, which he tried not to miss, and his instructions to the children that they have a great responsibility for the future of the country: “Study hard! We have preserved the country, and you will have to restore it.”

“In my opinion, Yevheniy had a great spirit – he was always guided by great goals and great deeds,” shares her thoughts Lyudmyla. “Sometimes it seems to me that his mission, perhaps right here and now, is complete, but he is already fulfilling some other higher missions, hopefully keeping in touch with us and watching over us all. I am grateful to Yevheniy for our journey together, for his unconditional love, care, our children, and for his contribution to saving the country.”

Throughout his life, Yevheniy Yenin set himself high goals and made every effort to achieve them. This is the price for understanding the deep political processes that often, for various reasons, not all Ukrainians realized. This is an example of one man’s life, his contribution to the service of the state, and, ultimately, such a tragic end.

“Yevheniy often repeated the same words: “Everything will be fine!” his wife recalls, “And I believed him...”

 

Antonina Linnik

Photos from L. Yenina’s privat archive.