“My dog is red, just like my dad's beard.” How a dream came true for the son of a fallen hero, and why children need a Christmas miracle

Serhii Samodielov, alias Red, was deemed unfit for military service due to a serious childhood injury. But that didn't stop him when the Russians invaded Ukraine. He joined the defenders of the 3rd Assault Brigade. 

Serhii was killed on 8 May 2023 near Bakhmut. Waiting for him at home were his wife Maryna and 8-year-old son Luka. Luka was sent to Gen.Camp, a psychological rehabilitation camp, to help him deal with his loss.

He met two Maltipoo dogs there and began to dream of having one because, he said, the dog was "the same colour red as my dad's beard".

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Luka's dream came true in December, between his birthday and St Nicholas' Day. The Samodielovs now have a little four-legged friend named Red (in English). Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life) tells the story of Luka, who lost his dad, but found a friend who reminds him of his father.

We also talked to a psychologist about the importance of making children's dreams come true on the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays. 

Luka and his dog, who's the same colour red as his dad's beard

Serhii's son, his painting and his preparation for service

Serhii was one of the activists on the Maidan. He had been preparing for military service since the Russians first invaded Ukraine in 2014. "It took me a long time to get pregnant, and then I spent almost all of 2014 in hospital," says Serhii's wife Maryna. "My son Luka was born in December, so Serhii did not go to serve [in the military] right away, but stayed by my side."

Serhii was run over by a lorry as a child. After the accident, doctors diagnosed him with significant injuries to his back and head, which made him unfit for service.  But that didn't stop him from preparing for the fight for his homeland over the next nine years.

His friends who were serving in the ATO/JFO used to come back and tell him their war stories. [The ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation) is a set of military and special organisational and legal measures by Ukraine aimed at countering the activities of illegal Russian and pro-Russian armed groups in the war in Ukraine's east in 2014-2018. In 2018, it became the JFO (Joint Forces Operation) - ed.] "Serhii's eyes would light up then - he wanted to join them, but I was strongly against it because our son was so little. 

Serhii was everything to Luka. Above all, he was his best friend and father. He wasn't a dad who just goes through the motions - they did a lot of things together.

They had their own boys' get-togethers, traditions and responsibilities," Maryna recollects. 

Serhii and LukaPhoto: family archive

Maryna adds that her husband had a degree in engineering, but when his son was born, he started painting. "Luka was very anxious as a child. At first, we didn't get any sleep at night, and we used to have night shifts.

When my husband was looking after our son, he would occasionally go out to the shared balcony to smoke. There, in silence and alone, he would do some sketches. It was his way of calming down," says Maryna. 

Serhii painted four floors of their building. He mastered many techniques and media on his own. None of his paintings ever stayed the way it was originally, because Serhii would keep on painting it, changing elements of it, and the process never ended. 

Maryna says she thought Serhii's paintings were gloomy and pessimistic at first, but later she realised that it was his unique style as an artist. He signed his works RED.

The stairwell in the Samodielovs' apartment building. The wall was painted by Serhii

24 February

The Samodielovs remember the morning of 24 February down to the last detail.

Like most people in Kyiv, they woke up to explosions that morning. "When I saw Serhii on the morning of 24 February, he was in military uniform. I asked him where he got it from; he replied 'Doesn't matter' and remained unfazed.

My husband had a strong character. He was all kitted out with a backpack and some equipment, and he just said 'I'm going'," she recollects. Maryna was about to start a new job, so she had a lot of work to finish up at her previous company.

She took their son to her parents', who lived nearby, and went to work. Her husband was supposed to be staying at home. She recollects that she packed a guitar, children's clothes and textbooks, but for some reason she didn't pack their documents. 

A few hours later, Serhii gave the keys to the apartment to their neighbours and left guidance on how to take care of their cats.  "He asked the neighbours to look after our pets, told them where the food and cat litter were, and then he went to the enlistment office. He didn't consult me, he only told me after he'd done it.

We were messaging almost the whole day, and I was trying to persuade him to stay, but he was adamant: 'We are under attack, I have to defend us'," says Maryna.  On the evening of 24 February, some debris from a downed missile fell near their home, and Maryna decided to leave Kyiv with her son.  "None of the enlistment offices in Kyiv would take Serhii with his medical history, so he went to one in the oblast and probably paid money to be recruited.

He followed his heart. Serhii didn't hide, he went of his own accord, and he chose the 3rd Assault Brigade. I respect his decision, but I don't accept it," Maryna says.

Serhii on duty

To become an Azov fighter, Serhii had to pass physical training and a lot of tests.

Maryna says there were a lot of subjects and her husband was constantly studying. His brothers-in-arms said Serhii was one of the best machine gunners - and the only one of the fighters who could run with two machine guns at once.

Home holidays and traditions

Luka celebrated his birthday in December 2022 without his dad, but Serhii came home for the New Year. He had five days of leave.

"We had a tradition that we'd always blow up loads of balloons and hang up the same bunting the night before Luka's birthday.  And Serhii always used to get the Christmas tree a few days before New Year to make sure it was fresh. Serhii and Luka would put it up, pick out baubles and decorate it together," Maryna remembers.

The same bunting would be hung up every year on Luka's birthday

They also had a tradition of preparing for Easter.

"Serhii always made the dough for the paskas [Easter cakes in Ukraine - ed.], I'd bake them, and then he and Luka would decorate them. They always dyed eggs together. They chose the colours and they'd find something new every year. 

We weren't preparing for the war. We just wanted our son to have childhood memories that he could pass on to his family. My husband did everything he could to ensure that these traditions and memories would continue, even while he was serving," Maryna says.

After spending New Year with his family, Serhii went to Bakhmut, where he fought until May. "Serhii used to paint icons on the doors in Bakhmut. It was a shock for him that there were no amulets in the old houses," Maryna recounts.

Farewell 

Serhii came home after Easter, on 4 May.

He only managed to get away for one day, as he had been on sick leave after suffering a concussion.  "He managed to see everyone. He went to his parents' house, found time for all his friends, and talked a lot with his son, giving him guidance.

He drummed it into Luka's head: 'You're in charge. You are the main man in this family.' It was as if he'd come to say goodbye," says Maryna.

The last family photo together on 4 May

Maryna points out that she often heard her husband say that he "didn't go to the front to get killed". But on 8 May, some shrapnel got under his helmet during a mortar attack, and Serhii was killed instantly. 

"When the news got out, so many friends called me and asked how Luka was doing. They knew that my son and my husband had been very close. They used to go fishing together, go on picnics, go to meet friends. 

It hurts so much to know that Luka will never again hide himself away with his dad in their den and tell him [secrets]: 'I like this girl - her name's Leia!'" Maryna says, her voice trembling. She adds that Serhii will always live on in people's memories as a kind, sensitive, cheerful and funny man.

Dreaming of a dog

Maryna says her boys had been dreaming of getting a dog for ages, but they couldn't decide on a breed. Serhii dreamed of having a Giant Schnauzer [a large hunting dog; males can weigh up to 50 kg and stand up to 70 cm tall at the withers - ed.], while Luka just wanted a dog.

Most often he said he wanted a French bulldog, because several of their neighbours had those.  But they were in no hurry to bring a dog into their one-bedroom apartment.  "Serhii found a dog at the front - a big hunting dog.

He rescued it from an attack in a tank. He named him Fred, and that dog had a great life and the best vets. He was a big dog, and my husband was determined to take him to Kyiv.

But the dog was stolen in Donetsk Oblast," Maryna says. She adds that Luka never gave up trying to persuade his mother to get any dog, no matter what breed.

Maryna with her son Luka

After his father's death, Luka was sent to Gen.Camp for psychological rehabilitation. There were two support dogs during his stay there, both Maltipoos - small red dogs.

"When Luka was little, Serhii used to put him to bed. Luka always used to hold onto his daddy's beard so that he wouldn't 'run away'.  So when our son saw a Maltipoo at the camp, he stopped asking for just any old dog.

Luka said this kind of dog was the same colour red as Daddy's beard, and that he would sleep better with one," Maryna says.

Luka at the rehabilitation center in Gen.Camp

She says she was hesitant and put off making this dream come true for a while. But the child psychologist they work with advised them to get a dog to help Luka to finally let his feelings out. He had become very closed off since his father's death and took all his guidance very seriously.

After his birthday in December, Luka's dream came true. 

Little Red's first day at home

Maryna says the puppy found them himself. A friend of hers had once mentioned a kennel for dogs of this breed, and when the owner heard Luka's story, she gave him a puppy. "Red came to us suddenly and completely by accident, but it was perfect timing.

He's an anti-stress dog. A really smart, gentle and funny little pup. He distracts Luka from his thoughts," she says, smiling.

Luka named his dog Red after his father's alias.  "Now Luka is keeping a diary of the dog's first year. It has a page with the pet's family.

There is Luka, the puppy, and Mum and Dad. I asked my son which dad he meant, and he said ours. And he added that his dad always has been, is and always will be there.

So he introduced Red to his father and showed him his portrait. This dog is really helping Luka to open up and experience his emotions," says Maryna.

Why making dreams come true is important

Vanui Martirosian, head psychologist at the Gen.Camp rehabilitation camp, explained why it is important to make children's dreams come true. "We have always associated the period leading up to New Year with dreams and belief in miracles," she says. "But for traumatised children, this time can be a significant challenge.

The traumatic experience they have gone through suppresses the work of the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for imagination and dreams. So it's important to encourage children to believe in miracles so that they can heal and restore balance in their brain functions.  That's why at GenCamp, we have created a tradition of celebrating Christmas with all its magical and festive attributes: celebrating the victory of light over darkness, making wishes, and nurturing faith in the future."

Christmas traditions at Gen.Camp

In their spontaneity, however, children sometimes even forget about their wishes or change their list of "dreams".

Martirosian gave some examples of other children from the rehabilitation camp. Brothers Sasha and Losha (aged 8 and 10) asked for toy guns and sweets for the holidays. Their mother says they usually make a list for the New Year, and the wishes on it are very expensive, such as the latest model of a game console.

The boys went through a very difficult time in Kyiv Oblast. A Russian bomber was dropping ballast and one of the bombs hit their house. The whole family was killed - only the boys miraculously survived.

Their mother had left the house half an hour before the tragedy - she had been getting ready to evacuate her family to Poland. The brothers spent several hours trapped under the rubble - their mother dug them out with her own hands. Seven-year-old Sofiia's father and uncle were killed at the front, but despite this painful loss, she has plenty of dreams and wishes.

For example, she asked for a huge box of beads for St Nicholas' to make rings, bracelets and necklaces. She also mentioned that she wanted to see a performance by the Magic Five, a group of illusionists who do various magic tricks. Her mother ensured that all her daughter's dreams came true and made her eyes light up with joy.

Viktoriia Andrieieva, Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life)

Translated by Myroslava Zavadska

Edited by Teresa Pearce