Maksym A. Ostiak (Ostin)

Musician and aerial reconnaissance officer Maksym Ostryak (call sign Austin) was killed in action on July 4, 2022, while performing a combat mission in the Kharkiv region. Maksym was born in the city of Poltava. He received a degree in civil engineering from the National University "Poltava Polytechnic named after Yuri Kondratyuk". He traveled around Ukraine and the world. For a long time, he lived in Kyiv. He worked at the Museum of the History of Kyiv. He was the lead singer of the band "Reve ta Stogne". He sang everywhere, he knew how to perform throat singing. He was involved in sports. In February 2014, he was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity and was injured. When the full-scale war began, Maksym went to the front as a volunteer. He joined the aerial reconnaissance unit of the 49th separate rifle battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "Carpathian Sich". Five days before his departure to the front, Maksym met a girl named Kateryna. They spent their days together and fell in love with each other. "50 days. Only 50 days did fate give us. 5 out of 50 we were together. Touch to touch, look to look, inseparable. From the first meeting to the last. Then he leaves for the front. Immediately to the hottest places. And there he danced the hopak in armor with a machine gun. Austin is a person of incredible energy, incredible charisma, unbreakable thirst for justice and conscious life in a free and independent state," says Kateryna Stavytska. They constantly communicated, spent time together through video calls. They danced, did stretching or simply silently looked into each other's eyes. They were waiting for Maksym's rotation, dreamed and wanted to plan a joint future. He told the girl: "Girl, I'm immortal... Don't worry." "On the night of July 3-4, Maks warned that he was going on an important task, would be without communication for about 5 days. I write to him about my feelings, and he: "Can I post?" This was his last post on Facebook... 12 days later, his military comrade called me: "Maks is no more... He was killed in action immediately," Kateryna added. Maksym was buried in his native Poltava. He left behind his mother, brother, nephews, daughter, and beloved girlfriend.