Artem "Shpendyk" Stepchenko was a fan of the Kryvbas football club (Kryvyi Rih) and a member of The Company supporters' group.

Artem Yuriyovych Stepchenko was born on February 11, 1991, in Kryvyi Rih. He attended School No. 51 and later Vocational School No. 29. In his youth, he trained in rugby and also enjoyed football and martial arts.

He began supporting Kryvbas from the fan section in 2008 and became a co-founder of The Company. Artem participated in all away games and was always an active part of the football fan culture, both inside and outside the stadium. He remained a key figure during the generational shift within the group, always ready to help and mentor younger members.

In his civilian life, he worked at the Kryvyi Rih Metallurgical Combine before starting his own business.

When a local branch of the Centuria organization was established in Kryvyi Rih, Artem became an active participant in its patriotic and educational initiatives.

He met his future wife, Oleksandra, in 2015. They married in early 2019, and their daughter, Sofia, was born later that same year.

His family remembers Artem as a loving father and a pillar of support for his wife and daughter—their whole world and the best person they knew. He had planned a family trip to the Carpathians, but they never got the chance. Even while at the front, he would connect to Starlink from wherever he was to spend hours talking to his daughter.

In the first days of the full-scale war, Artem and his fellow club members took up arms in the ranks of the Azov-Dnipro Territorial Defense. Later, he decided to join old friends in the RUGBY TEAM unit of the 129th Brigade, which was formed by players from the Kryvyi Rih rugby club and members of the fan movement. The unit eventually grew into a battalion of unmanned systems, where Artem served as commander of the engineering and sapper platoon.

His combat path was intense, spanning the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Avdiivka directions. He participated in the battles for Robotyne and defended the Sumy region on the Kursk front. His brothers-in-arms will remember Artem as being loyal to the Ukrainian nation and the struggle until his final breath. He was always able to motivate himself and his comrades, driven by thoughts of Ukraine's future, especially the lives of children and the younger generation. Friends recall combat missions in the Kherson region in 2022; even when he knew a task was extremely difficult and risky, "Shpendyk" would find the strength to head out with a smile and a joke. He dedicated his free time to training and mentoring young people.

Regarding his convictions, he said: "We didn't even notice how it became the meaning of our lives—to be the shield of our state and the support for our people. There is no turning back. Because if we betray our convictions, if we say, 'We've done our part, let others do it now,' that won't just be a retreat—it will be a collapse. Because those 'others' won't be able to handle it on their own. Because we are Ukraine. And as long as the fire burns in our hearts, we will stand." During his service, he received several awards, including the Presidential Award "For the Defense of Ukraine."

He set out on his engineering group's final mission with a smile, inspired by the fact that he was the one chosen to carry it out. Artem Stepchenko was killed on August 26, 2025, while performing a combat mission near the village of Mykilske in the Sumy region. An enemy ambush claimed his life and the lives of two of his comrades. He is buried in the honorary burial section of the Central Cemetery in Kryvyi Rih.

Eternal honor to the Hero!

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