In May 2023, Ukrainian defence forces fought desperate battles near Bakhmut. They were bravely countered by the legendary 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which not only held the line but also launched tangible counterattacks. On 8 May 2023, Ukrainian soldiers managed to force the enemy to flee and push them back several kilometres.
Unfortunately, there were also casualties among the Ukrainian forces. Among the defenders of Bakhmut who died that day was 25-year-old soldier Maksym Maksymenko, the acting commander of a combat group who received multiple shrapnel wounds incompatible with life, taking the hit and thus shielding the soldiers he was leading into battle with his body. The fallen soldier had the call sign "Ajax".
Maksym Maksymenko was fond of football, an ardent fan of Dynamo Kyiv and a member of its fan club. For many years, he attended both home and away matches of the White and Blues. He sincerely and wholeheartedly loved our club. It was the "ultras" of Dynamo and other Ukrainian football clubs who were a significant driving force behind Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity. From the first days of the war, he voluntarily joined the ranks of the capital's terrorist defence as part of the outstanding 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, which was formed in Kyiv on the basis of the Azov unit. In April, he fought as a gunner of a special forces unit as part of the Khortytsia separate military unit.
Maksym Maksymenko was born on 20 September 1997 in Radomyshl. He boasted to his friends and fans that he played together with Sashko Zinchenko at the stadium in Radomyshl. He was also fond of martial arts.
In the last battle, Maksym Maksymenko, who was on the front lines, was entrusted with the duties of a combat group commander. "Ajax" heroically held his men and led them into battle and remained faithful to his military oath to the end.
Maksym Maksymenko was buried in the Alley of Glory of the capital's City Cemetery on Stetsenko Street. His portrait was installed on the Alley of Fallen Heroes of the Land at the memorial in Radomyshl.
According to the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 485\2023 of 11 August 2023, soldier Maksym Maksymenko was posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage", III degree, for personal courage in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless performance of military duty.