We are the wife and daughter of the fallen Ukrainian soldier, Hero Maksym Kozhushko (call sign “Mickey”). My name is Natalia, and our daughter is Marharytka.
Maksym and I met in 2011 in Lviv. We fell in love and built a family filled with warmth, support, and sincere love.
In 2019, our daughter Marharytka was born — she was his greatest joy and pride. Maksym was not only a loving husband but also an incredibly gentle and caring father. He devoted every free minute to his family: playing with Rita, reading her fairy tales, teaching her, and hugging her. In his presence, everything was always peaceful and secure.
Rita remembers her daddy well, even though she was only three and a half years old when he died. She remembers his smile, his voice, and his warmth. We cherish these memories as our most precious treasure.
Maksym was a military man by calling. Since his youth, he forged his strength of spirit and character, training in Kyokushin karate and boxing. In 2011, he earned the right to wear the “maroon beret” (krapovy beret) — a symbol of endurance, courage, and honor.
He participated in the ATO, fighting in the Donbas to protect Ukraine during its most difficult times. For him, this was not an order or a formality — it was a conscious choice. A choice to stand up for his country, for its freedom, and its future. He deployed to the combat zone multiple times, and each time he returned home with faith in victory.
On February 24, 2022, Maksym once again stood up to defend his Motherland without hesitation. He hugged us and said he had to be where he was needed most. First, he volunteered, and later he became a fighter of the “Artan” special forces unit of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR MOU).
Maksym had hands of gold. He could do everything: he repaired cars, built our house in Lviv with his own hands, and dreamed of a large family and a happy future for us. He did not have time to finish many of his plans. But he left behind something greater than anything built by hand — an example of courage and honor, loyalty to his oath, and boundless love for his family and Ukraine.
On December 20, 2022, Maksym was killed in action in the Bakhmut direction. An enemy shell hit the trench, taking the lives of “Mickey” and his brother-in-arms “Khazar.”
Our grief is boundless. Yet at the same time, we are immensely proud of him.
His name, his strength, and his love will live forever in the hearts of those who knew, loved, and respected him. In my heart and in the heart of our daughter — forever.
