Ukrainian officer and poet Maksym Yemets killed in action
Maksym "Raccoon" Yemets, an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has been killed in action on the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast.
Source: Oksana Rubaniak, Maksym's beloved, a Ukrainian soldier and writer
Details: "This isn't how we wanted to share our story, nor how it was meant to be. So many plans and dreams left unrealised. A house in the suburbs, children, a family. And growing old together for more than 60 years, you wouldn't settle for less. Stubborn, just like me.
And also tender, caring, loving, beloved. My only love. My peace of mind. My universe," Oksana wrote.
Maksym Yemets, 30, from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, joined the war in 2014 at just 19. He shared his story with Front18, a Ukrainian media project focused on countering information attacks in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
He volunteered with the UNSO (Ukrainian People's Self-Defence) battalion before serving in the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade and the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade. Maksym fought in the fierce battles of Ilovaisk and Debaltseve, among the deadliest of the 2014 Donbas War.
He spent nearly his entire adult life at war, rising from soldier to company commander. Maksym was decorated with the Order for Courage, III class.
He posted his last poem on social media the day before he was killed.
Oksana said she met her husband on the front line. Recently, they had both been on duty near Pokrovsk, allowing them to see each other more often.
Maksym and Oksana on duty
"I always looked forward to seeing you, willing to travel halfway across the country. You hurried to meet me too, often taking risks on dangerous roads from the contact line – because you promised you would come.
Despite the distance and our duties, we always found a way to see each other – we made the impossible happen. We were always in a hurry, always searching for a chance. And yesterday, I was searching for your body, just to see you, just to be with you. I found you, and we met. But you didn't look at me anymore – and you never will again," Oksana says with a heavy heart.
Oksana has promised to publish a collection of poems to tell the world about Maksym.
Ukrainian veteran Stepan Savchuk also shared his memories of his first commander, Raccoon.
"He always told me, 'Don't worry, we'll make it'. He was never afraid to take risks, going where others wouldn't dare. I accepted him, quirks and all, and he respected me because I always told him the truth, no matter what.
We lived together in the basements of Lysychansk, coming out of the semi-surrender, and he protected me, helping as much as he could. He was seriously wounded more than once and had a disability. He could have left the service at any time, but he gave away the most – his life," Stepan wrote on social media.
Background: In March 2024, Oksana Rubaniak was included in the ranking of leaders of the UP100. The Power of Women project.
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