Roman Maksymiuk, a 50-year-old former midfielder of the Ukrainian national team who won the Russian Cup with Zenit in 1999 and also played for Dynamo Kyiv, Dnipro and Volyn, is now fighting in the Kharkiv region as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Roman Maksymiuk- From the first days of the full-scale invasion, we started collecting aid for the Armed Forces. I participated in charity veteran football tournaments. We raised money for cars for our units.
And in the fall of 2022, I voluntarily went to defend my homeland. I got into a mobile firing group. Our task is to go on duty, take up positions and destroy enemy air targets. At first I was in Lutsk, now we are in the Kharkiv direction. It is very difficult here. But I believe in our victory. Because we have no other choice. If we lose, Ukraine as a state will cease to exist. We will be destroyed as a nation.
The full-scale invasion has radically changed my mind. I want nothing to do with the Russians. I don't want my children and grandchildren to have anything to do with them. We have to pass on the message that Russians are a threat to our existence from generation to generation," Maksymiuk said.
