The soldier who was an anchor to his friends and family: The story of Staff Sgt. Stanislav Kostarev
There are people you feel through their words, through a loud presence or grand gestures. Stanislav (Stas) Kostarev was the exact opposite. He was someone you felt through his quiet, inner calm he radiated to those around him, and through small, everyday acts carried out far from the spotlight. Staff Sgt. Stanislav Kostarev, a combat soldier in Battalion 601 of the Combat Engineering Corps, was killed on the 9th of Sivan, 5784 (June 15, 2024), in the deadly armored vehicle disaster in Rafah. He was 21. Stas was the son of Ella, and the younger brother of Yekaterina and Svetlana.
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‘The baby everyone was waiting for’
Stas’ story begins in 2002. His family made aliyah five years earlier, in 1997. His sister, Svetlana Sablayev, who was 19 at the time, clearly remembers his birth. “He was the baby everyone was waiting for, the whole house was waiting for him. He came like an angel to the family.”
Stas grew up in a warm home, with his grandmother playing a central role in raising him while his mother worked hard to support the family. “He extended our grandmother’s life by six years,” Svetlana says with pain. “He was a quiet, polite and very modest child.” Within that quiet was a remarkable talent for drawing. Without any formal training, Stas produced works that surprised everyone. “It just came naturally to him,” she recalls. “His face gave no hint of what he was feeling. Even if there were turmoil outside, he would always come home calm, as if nothing had happened.”
The company’s anchor
When Stas enlisted in the Combat Engineering Corps, his quiet nature became both an operational and social asset. R., a close friend who went through the entire training track with him, describes the bond they formed. “At the first meeting, you can’t imagine how close you’ll become. He was the only person I went through the entire path with, and that’s how such a strong connection formed.” L., another friend, recalls the moment Stas arrived at the battalion. “I saw a smiling kid, a bit shy, still not understanding where he had landed. But very quickly he became an anchor. He was the person you turned to when you needed something, because you knew that with Stas, it would simply get done. He did everything at 100%.”
His fellow soldiers describe a commander and fighter who instilled inner calm in everyone. On the battlefield, where pressure and fear overwhelm many, Stas was the man his soldiers trusted completely. “He was someone who said, ‘I’m here for you, I won’t leave, I’ll help, I’ll support’. That’s what we heard from his friends during the shiva mourning week”, his sister Svetlana says.
‘I’m the man in this family’
Despite the heavy responsibility as a soldier and commander, Stas never stopped taking care of his family. Svetlana recalls his last Shabbat at home, just before he returned to Gaza. “Mom went grocery shopping at the local center, and Stas joined her. He carried all the bags, and there were many. When Mom asked to lighten his load and at least take the bag of bread, he answered with one sentence that said it all: ‘I’m the man in this family.’”
His concern for his mother followed him into the Gaza Strip. His friends remember late-night conversations over coffee in the midst of fighting, when he expressed concern about his mother sitting alone at home, worrying about him. Yet alongside that personal concern burned a deep sense of mission. “I need to free the hostages, I need to win here,” he told his friends. “I want the children in Be’eri and Rosh HaNikra, and the adults in Kfar Saba, to be able to live their lives in peace.”
The black Saturday of June
On June 15, 2024, in the early morning hours, the force set out for an assault in the Rafah area. At approximately 5:15 a.m., an anti-tank missile struck a “Namer” armored engineering vehicle, known by the nickname “Wasim.” The missile hit precisely where explosive materials were stored, causing a powerful and deadly blast.
One of his comrades reconstructs the moments of terror. “I heard a very strong explosion. I got off my vehicle to make sure everyone was okay, and then I looked at the cameras and saw Stas’ vehicle on fire. At that moment it hit me, and I understood the scale of the event. I knew Stas was on it, I knew there were eight soldiers there. The hit was fatal, and all eight were killed on the spot.”
The legacy: to be simple
Since his death, Stas’ family and friends have been working to preserve his unique character. “During the shiva mourning week we heard things we didn’t know about Stas,” Svetlana says. “Not about heroic battles, but about who he was day to day, in the darkest moments, in his simplicity with the soldiers.” His sister, who found his dog tag among his belongings and chose to keep it close, hopes her children will grow up to have their uncle’s character. “The most important question is why,” she says in pain. “Why him?”
His comrades summarize his character as a lesson for future generations of commanders. “Stas was someone who set himself aside for others. He didn’t do things to be noticed or to receive praise, but because he believed in them. Our responsibility now is for the people of Israel to know who this ‘superman’ was, the soldier, the friend and the human being.” Stas Kostarev, the quiet angel who became a protector of his family and his country, left a profound void in the hearts of all who knew him.
May his memory be a blessing.
Staff Sergeant
Stanislav Kostarev