YEMETS Maksym Mykhailovych
(21 September 1994, Staryi Kosiv village, Kosiv district, Ivano-Frankivsk region – 5 February 2025, Pokrovsk direction, Donetsk region, buried on 11 February 2025 at the municipal cemetery in Ivano- Frankivsk in the village of Chukalivka) – Ukrainian military officer, major, senior officer of the special forces unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence. Graduate of TNEU in 2016, Ivano-Frankivsk Educational and Scientific Institute of Management.
Maksym Yemets was born on 21 September 1994 in the village of Staryi Kosiv, Kosiv Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. From childhood, he was actively involved in military-patriotic organisations, in particular the UNA-UNSO and the Stepan Bandera Trident, and was also a member of the People’s Control public movement.
He studied at the Kosiv boarding school and later at the S. Granat Ivano-Frankivsk Financial and Commercial College. In 2016, he graduated from the Ivano-Frankivsk Educational and Scientific Institute of Management of the TNEU with a bachelor’s degree.
At the age of 19, Maksym volunteered for the front. He initially served in the Aidar Battalion, and on 4 August 2014, he became a gunner-operator in the 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. He took part in heavy fighting for Ilovaisk and Debaltseve as part of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade and the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade.
In 2018, after completing leadership courses at the Odessa Military Academy, he received the officer rank of second lieutenant.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Maksym held the position of commander of the reconnaissance company of the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after King Danylo. He took part in the battles for Popasna, where he was seriously wounded on 8 March 2022. However, this did not stop him. On 1 June 2022, he became commander of the motorised infantry battalion of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade ‘Edelweiss’ and actively participated in the battles for Sievierodonetsk. After that, he transferred to the General Staff of the Ministry of Defence, where he continued to serve in various areas of the front. He was directly involved in the planning and implementation of military operations to liberate the Kharkiv region, the Balakliya breakthrough and the de-occupation of Kupiansk in 2022.
Thanks to his dedication and professionalism, Maksym participated in planning the defence of the Kharkiv region in 2024, where he commanded defensive operations, particularly in the village of Starytsia, where Ukrainian units defeated the enemy, preventing them from advancing further.
In the summer of 2024, Maksym continued his studies at the Yevhen Bereznyak Military Diplomatic Academy. In December of that year, he was stationed in the Pokrovsk direction, organising and coordinating military defence operations. Thanks to his efforts, the 425th Assault Regiment ‘Skala’ and the 32nd Separate Mechanised Brigade liberated the village of Pishchane. During his years of service, Maksym was wounded eight times, but he never stopped fighting.
On 5 February 2025, while carrying out a combat mission in the Pokrovsk direction in Donetsk Oblast, Maksym was killed by artillery fire.
Maksym was engaged to Oksana Rubanyak, a Ukrainian poet, writer, social activist, military officer and company commander in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In memory of Maksym, Oksana promised to publish his collection of poems.
Maksym Yemets received the following awards:
– the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star (2025, posthumously);
– the Order for Courage, III degree (2022);
– the title of Lieutenant Colonel (2025, posthumously);
– the medal ‘For Military Service to Ukraine’ (2016);
– the medal ‘Cross of Military Merit’ (posthumously).
Sources:
1. Ємець Максим Михайлович. Вікіпедія. Вільна енциклопедія. URL : https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%84%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%D1%8C_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BC_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87.
2. Каразуб І. “Я розкажу про тебе світу”. На війні загинув воїн з Івано-Франківщини Максим Ємець на позивний “Єнот”. Суспільне Івано-Франківськ. URL : https://suspilne.media/ivano-frankivsk/941193-a-rozkazu-pro-tebe-svitu-na-vijni-zaginuv-voin-z-ivano-frankivsini-maksim-emec-na-pozivnij-enot/.
3. Каразуб І. Зеленський посмертно присвоїв звання “Герой України” старшому офіцеру ГУР з Івано-Франківщини Максиму Ємцю. Суспільне Івано-Франківськ. URL : https://suspilne.media/ivano-frankivsk/1050803-zelenskij-posmertno-prisvoiv-zvanna-geroj-ukraini-starsomu-oficeru-gur-z-ivano-frankivsini-maksimu-emcu/.
4. На Покровському напрямку 4 лютого 2025 року загинув воїн з Івано-Франківщини Максим Ємець, якому було 30 років. Укрінформ. URL : https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3963652-pamati-majora-maksima-emca-pozivnij-enot.html.