Roman Maksymyuk, a former midfielder for the national team, Dynamo Kyiv, and several other domestic clubs, has been killed in battles for Ukraine's independence. The tragic news was confirmed through DNA test results following a grueling year of searches and hope that the warrior's family and loved ones never gave up on.
DNA Testing Confirmation
Roman Maksymyuk had been listed as missing in action since the beginning of 2025. The Ukrainian soldier last made contact on January 30, 2025, when his unit was carrying out combat missions in the Pokrovsk direction. After that, contact with him was lost, and throughout the following year, his relatives lived in suspense without reliable information about his fate. The outcome came in the form of DNA test results confirming the warrior's death.
Last Contact and Combat Path
The athlete joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the autumn of 2022, voluntarily enlisting in the army. He served as a gunner within the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade. According to his fellow servicemen, Maksymyuk fought very courageously on the frontline, for which he was subsequently awarded. It was during combat operations in the Pokrovsk direction, where his unit was located at the end of January 2025, that he went missing.
Football Career: From Prykarpattya to the National Team
Roman Maksymyuk left a notable mark on the history of Ukrainian football. A product of Prykarpattya football, during his professional career he played for a number of leading domestic clubs, including Prykarpattya, Dynamo, Dnipro, Volyn, and Chornomorets. Between 1998 and 2002, the midfielder played five matches for the Ukraine national team, making his name recognizable to fans across the country.
Memory and Family Support
«The miracle did not happen. A year of hope, waiting, prayers, and faith... A year during which we lived between heaven and earth, clung to the slightest hope, and believed that Roma would come home. Thank you to everyone who prayed, supported, helped search, and did not let hope fade. I ask you to remember my Roma. He was not just missing in action. He was a husband, a dad, a son, a friend. A person who was loved and awaited,» wrote Vira, the wife of the fallen warrior, on social media. Support went beyond words: during one of the international matches against the Canada national team, players of the Ukraine national team took to the field wearing Maksymyuk's jacket and jersey, paying tribute and supporting the family of their colleague, who was considered missing in action at the time.
Today, Roman Maksymyuk's name is not only the football biography of a midfielder, but also a reminder of the price paid by many civilians and athletes who rose to defend the country. His death has been officially confirmed, and his memory is preserved both in the football community and among his loved ones.
