July 8, 2023
Junior Lieutenant Maxim Shovenko, call sign Prepper, fell in battle with occupiers on July 8, 2023, near the village of Urozhayne in Donetsk region. Leading the assault group, the officer accomplished a crucial mission to capture enemy positions but was killed by an enemy shell explosion. He was 26.
Maxim was born in Oleshky, Kherson region. He graduated from Kherson State Agrarian-Economic University and served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He had interests in diving, fishing, weaponry, metal detecting, and history.
Though he had planned for a peaceful life, Maxim couldn’t stand aside in defending his homeland. Thus, in 2021, he signed a contract with the AFU. He served in the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Marine Corps and underwent special training.
Encountering full-scale aggression in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone in Luhansk region, he actively participated in combat from the war’s onset. Despite sustaining injuries during missions, Maxim fought from Novoaidar to Bakhmut.
In January 2023, as one of the best-prepared soldiers, he was sent to the Military Academy in Odesa. After completing his training, he received an officer’s rank and was appointed as a platoon commander in the newly formed 37th Separate Marine Brigade of the Naval Forces of the AFU. From May onwards, he resumed combat duties in the conflict zone. In June, his brigade took part in offensive actions at Vremiivskyi Bulge. According to comrades, Maxim was a true warrior: brave, experienced, loyal, caring, and always ready to follow orders and share everything with his brothers in arms.
“Our son was our Universe! He was the meaning of our lives. The best son, a brave warrior, intelligent and confident. He had many friends and was planning to get married in the fall… He always had his own opinion, never hid, and was always in the front lines. He was a person who believed in a free Ukraine and fought for it,” said Maxim’s mother, Alla Ivanivna.
Maxim was laid to rest at the Alley of Glory cemetery in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region.
At home, his parents, relatives, beloved, and friends awaited the warrior.