A 25-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Oleksandr Cherednichenko, was found dead in his car in County Durham, with an inquest revealing that loneliness may have contributed to his tragic death.
According to DailyMail, Cherednichenko, who fled his home city of Odessa in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion, had been living and working in the UK as a postman.
After spending time in Newcastle, he later moved to Bowburn, Durham.
His body was discovered on December 10, 2024, inside his Honda SUV, parked on the B6295. A notebook found in the vehicle contained the word “loneliness,” Crook Coroners’ Court heard.
Motorist Karen Turnbull noticed that the car had remained stationary for 24 hours before alerting authorities. Emergency responders, including the North East Ambulance Service and the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, arrived at the scene.
His mother, Olha Sedokova, attended the inquest via video link, sharing her devastation. “My son led a healthy lifestyle, and he had planned to live a long life,” she said. “He was learning English, wanted British citizenship, and liked his job. He was also happy with his new car.”
She last heard from him on November 7, she said, but her subsequent messages remained unread.
Senior Assistant Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield ruled the death as suicide, noting, “Between November 8 at 4.56 pm and 3.50 pm on November 10, Oleksandr took his own life in his parked vehicle. The question of ‘why’ is not something coroners are required to explore, but his notes make it clear that it was intentional.”
Following his death, friend Sam Rees launched a GoFundMe campaign, raising over £600 to help return Cherednichenko’s body to Ukraine so he could be laid to rest with his family.
