Journalist, lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Maksym Medynskyi killed at the front line

A native of Bolhrad in Odesa Oblast, Ukrainian journalist and lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Maksym Medynskyi has died in the war against the Russian occupation forces, Mayor Serhiy Dymytriyev announced.

"Without hesitation, our compatriot began to defend Ukraine back in 2014, when Ukraine began to fight for true independence and independence, fulfilling his military and public duty," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Maksym's father, Serhiy Medynskyi, shared a message of the online publication Mahala, noting that it knew Maksym well: he collaborated with the outlet as he prepared to enter the journalism faculty of Kyiv National University and published his articles there.

"I was never afraid to lay down my life, I was just afraid to lose it in some stupid way. Therefore, there was no question: to go to war or not. There is a war in my country, so I have to defend it," Maksym wrote back in 2016.

In February 2022, he said that if active hostilities resumed, he would return to the front.

"It is impossible not to go. There's no other way round it. Who should do it? There is always something to lose. But it is important not only to be afraid of losses, but also to protect your own. Unfortunately, the possibility of aggravation is not a one-off situation, but the reality in which we live," he said.