Oleksandr Makhov

Oleksandr Makhov was born on 17 April 1986 in Voroshylovhrad (now Luhansk).[1][2]

He graduated from the East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dahl National University with a degree in journalism. He worked for Luhansk Regional Television, the city's IRTA channel,[1] and as a correspondent for Ukraine, Ukraine 24, and Dom TV channels (2021–2022).[3] He covered events from the war zone and hosted the podcast "Viiskkor".[4] In 2017, he had a business trip to Antarctica.[5]

In 2015, he was voluntarily mobilized,[2] served as an anti-aircraft gunner and machine gunner in the 57th Motorized Brigade.[3] He participated in the fighting near Horlivka – in Zaitseve and Maiorsk.[6]

From 20 February to 5 March 2020, he was the only representative of the Ukrainian media in the observation center in Novi Sanzhary, Poltava Oblast, together with the evacuees from Wuhan, China.[1][5]

With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he went to the front again as part of the 95th Air Assault Brigade.[5] He died on 4 May 2022 while defending the village of Dovhenke, Kharkiv Oblast, as a result of shelling by the Russian occupiers.[4] An enemy fragment hit Oleksandr's lung.[7]

He was buried on 9 May 2022 at the Berkovets Cemetery.[8]

He is survived by his son Vladyslav and his fiancée Anastasiia Blyshchyk.[3]

On 5 May 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi began his address with the news of the journalist's death.[9]

A light rail station in Kyiv was also named after him.[10]

On 26 December 2022, in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Oleksandr Ostrovskyi Street was renamed to Oleksandr Makhov Street.[11]

On 27 October 2022, Oleksandr Makhov Street appeared in Kyiv.[12]

• Order for Courage, III class (24 May 2022, posthumously)[13]