Former Ukrainian international footballer Roman Maksymyuk has died in the war between Ukraine and Russia, after being missing in combat since January 2025, as confirmed by his family and former club, Dynamo Kyiv.
The death of the former midfielder, who was 51 years old, was confirmed through DNA analysis, as reported on Saturday by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, citing the Ukrainian Sports Journalists Association and the player's wife, Vera Maksymyuk.
Maksymyuk joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in autumn 2022, following the start of the large-scale Russian invasion. He served in the 25th Airborne Brigade Sicheslav and disappeared while participating in a combat mission on the Pokrovsk front in the Donetsk region. His last contact with his family was on January 30, 2025.
His wife confirmed the news on social media, recalling the long period of uncertainty and hope experienced by their loved ones. "He was not just a missing person. He was a husband, a father, a son, a friend," she wrote, as reported by the Ukrainian news agency UNN.
Maksymyuk played five matches for the Ukrainian national team between 1998 and 2002. Throughout his career, he played for several clubs, including Dynamo Kyiv, Dnipro, Chornomorets Odesa, Volyn, and Zenit St. Petersburg.
With Dynamo Kyiv, he won the League and Cup of Ukraine in the 1999-2000 season. The club expressed its condolences to the family upon learning of his death.