Maksym Yu. Hushcha (Khaker)

Soldier Maksym Hushcha (call sign Hacker) was killed on February 4, 2023, on the outskirts of the village of Ploshchanka in the Luhansk region. During a combat mission, he sustained fatal injuries as a result of enemy mortar shelling. He would have turned 25 years old on February 23. Maksym was born and lived in the city of Lebedyn, Sumy region. He studied at the A.S. Makarenko Lebedyn Pedagogical College. He was engaged in the repair of phones and computers and planned to continue developing in this direction. He worked for a long time at the service center "Dobryi Mayster" (Good Master). His last place of work was the building materials store "Domovyi" (Homeowner). In April 2022, the man joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and went to defend his country from Russian invaders. Maksym served in the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Mstislav the Brave. He was a gunner in a mechanized unit. Together with his comrades-in-arms, he defended the Donetsk region. He participated in the defense of the city of Mariinka and the liberation of the settlements of Shchurove and Lyman. "Maksym was a loving husband, caring son, faithful friend, and reliable comrade-in-arms. He said: 'No matter how tired I am, I will never leave my comrades-in-arms. I will be with them until the end, they have become another family for me.' He dreamed of returning home and building the house of our dreams, where our future children would grow up. But he didn't have time..." - shared his wife Elizaveta. The defender was buried in the Oleksandriia cemetery next to other soldiers in his hometown. Maksym is survived by his parents, brother, wife, relatives, friends, and comrades-in-arms. On October 5, 2023, a memorial plaque in his honor was unveiled on the facade of Lebedyn Secondary School No. 5, which Maksym had graduated from.