Former Ukrainian international Roman Maksymyuk dies in the war after missing in action for almost two years

Former Ukrainian international footballer Roman Maksymyuk has died in the war between Ukraine and Russia, after being missing in action since January 2025, as confirmed by his family and his former club, Dinamo kyiv.

The death of the former midfielder, who was 51 years old, has been confirmed by DNA analysis, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported on Saturday, citing the Association of Sports Journalists of Ukraine and the player's wife, Vera Maksymyuk.

Maksymyuk joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in autumn 2022, following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. He served in the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade and disappeared while participating in a combat mission on the Pokrovsk front in the Donetsk region. His last contact with his family occurred on January 30, 2025.

His wife confirmed the news on social media, where she recalled the long period of uncertainty and hope experienced by those close to her. "It was not simply a missing person. It was a husband, a father, a son, a friend," he wrote, according to the Ukrainian agency UNN.

Maksymyuk played five games for Ukraine's senior national team between 1998 and 2002. Throughout his career he played for several clubs, including Dinamo kyiv, Dnipro, Chornomorets Odesa and Volyn, as well as Zenit Saint Petersburg.