Name: Maksym Chernysh
Age: 26
Education: Odesa Military Academy
Profession: Reconnaissance company commander
Did you know? Of all of his fellow military academy mates, Chernysh was the only one to be put in command of a large combat unit deployed in the Donbas war zone immediately after graduation.
The burden of repelling Russia’s invasion of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine has largely fallen upon young people who were born and grew up after Ukraine became independent in 1991. Many of those young men and women in khaki have distinguished themselves in battle, and will become the next generation of the country’s military elite, in many cases even before turning 25.
Maksym Chernysh decided to launch his career in the military in 2011 at the age of 19, just after he earned his diploma as a stock manager in his native Khmelnytskyi. Without much hesitation, he signed a contract to serve in the reconnaissance unit of the 8th Special Forces Regiment.
Living among the ranks of the elite unit was to his liking: Chernysh proved to be a good soldier, and was later sent for further training at the Odesa Military Academy. In the spring of 2016, as a lieutenant, he was given command of a reconnaissance company belonging to the famous 46th “Donbas-Ukraine” Special Forces Battalion, deployed in the war zone — an honored yet challenging task for a very young officer.
As commander, Maksym had to lead old war campaigners in their 30s and even 40s.
“The first six months were very hard for me,” he told the Kyiv Post. “At war, respect and authority are gained with strength and the mind, both in battle and in everyday routine.”
Against the odds, Lieutenant Chernysh has gradually become a true leader of his company of rangers, who form a close-knit and combat-effective unit. And for taking part in the defense of the front-line city of Maryinka, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko awarded him the Order For Courage, Third Class, in February. Sixteen other soldiers from his company also got awards for defending Maryinka.
Today, Chernysh is continuing to serve at the front.
The commander of the Donbas-Ukraine Battalion, Vyacheslav Vlasenko, describes Chernysh as “an excellent officer.”
“He came to us as a young boy, with no combat record at all. However, over the past two years he has grown into a true warrior, and a wise and respected commander who cares about his soldiers,” Vlasenko told the Kyiv Post.
“What I appreciate about him is that he knows that apart from army regulations, there are human relations among brothers-in-arms as well. The future of Ukraine belongs to upstanding young boys like him.”
