“I want to have a happy family with you. May you give birth to our girl Eva. We’ll have a strong family. I will protect you…” read one of the last messages that Oleksandr Makhov sent to Nastya, his fiancée.
In April, he proposed marriage to her directly from the front line. There he was, holding a grenade ring in his hands, instead of a wedding ring. Almost the entire country watched their love story.
The night before last, Nastya received a call, and was told that Oleksandr was no more…
The whole of Ukraine knew Oleksandr Makhov. Some in life, some from social networks, and some from TV screens. He is one of the most well-known Ukrainian military journalists. He had covered Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine as a correspondent since it began in 2014. And in 2015 he picked up a machine gun in place of a microphone.
Sasha, that’s what all his friends called him, would always say “If not us, then who?” A native of Luhansk, he kept repeating that this land should belong only to Ukraine. And he did everything with that aim in mind. Once the situation in the Donbas had stabilized, Makhov returned to Kyiv and continued his work as a journalist.
He sent dozens of reports from the front line. He was the first Ukrainian journalist to visit Ukraine’s Academic Vernadsky Station in Antarctica. He was the only journalist on board the plane that carried out the evacuation from coronavirus-ridden Wuhan.
He loved to take risks and always taught everyone to value this life. He traveled around Ukraine giving training sessions on how to properly cover war. He said that a journalist should write impartially in reports on war even if one of the parties to war is that journalist’s homeland.
President Zelensky paid tribute to Sasha, offering praise for him during an address to Ukrainians in the early hours of May 5. “I’m sure you’ve seen his reports… You may have seen his comments, his posts… Patriotic and sincere, he was always among the bravest.”
On February 24, when Russian troops began their massive offensive throughout Ukraine, Sasha did not hesitate to go to war. He was not afraid. He was never afraid. Oleksandr fought in Kharkiv Region, near the city of Izyum, where heavy fighting continues to this day.
Quite often he would not be in touch for several days. In a war there is not always the Internet or even the opportunity to call. When he had the opportunity, he wrote about the situation on my social networks.
And he would add the words “everything will be fine”. He promised his Nastya, who’s also a journalist, that he would return. He promised her a wedding. He promised her peace. And she wrote every day waiting for him.
Oleksandr Makhov turned 36 in April. He was injured a week ago. “Before the wedding with Nastya everything will heal.” On May 1, the military posted a photo of the Russians shelling the positions where Sasha served. The Ukrainian army repulsed that assault. Sasha asked that people believe in the Ukrainian military and be proud of those who serve their country. But Oleksandr Makhov passed away on May 4.
He had so many plans; his family, a documentary about the war, the rebuilding of Ukraine. He was one of the greatest patriots of our country that I have ever met. Even before the war, Sasha wrote to me that he had to fight for his life to the very end. And he did fight.
A man worthy of admiration… A real friend who gave people his last. Who gave his life for peace.
Sasha has a young son and a bride. And friends all over Ukraine. I was always proud of the fact that I know you. You always set an example for everyone. And in all the years of our friendship, I never a heard bad word said about you.
You were always on the positive side. With a thirst for adventure and a love for life. You will stay with us forever. Your fighting spirit will always be there.
Thank you, Sasha, for being like that. I promise you that we will do our best to make the peace you fought for arrive as soon as possible.
In loving memory of you, Sasha, my friend….
