Maksym Lavrenko, the commander of a mortar crew of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade, died on July 1, 2023. He was 25 years old. He participated in combat operations in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions.
Maksym’s mother, Viktoria Lavrenko, shared memories of her son and talked about their last conversation.
On February 24, 2022, Viktoria woke her son with the words, “The war has started.” She recalls that Maksym opened his eyes, but still in the haze of sleep, did not understand what she was saying. Then she opened the window, and the sound of the air raid siren filled the room. The young man listened for a few seconds, then quickly began to get ready.
“Mama, I’m going to the military enlistment office,” he explained.
**Dreamed of Becoming a Cook**
Viktoria says that as a child, Maksym was passionate about sports and played mini-football from the second grade. As he grew older, he attended a sambo wrestling section. His mother always attended the matches in which her son participated, celebrating his successes and comforting him in case of losses.
“Maksym thought of becoming a programmer. But when he was finishing his studies, he wanted to study to become a cook instead. He loved cooking very much. Even while in the combat zone, he cooked borshch, cabbage soup, and various salads,” his mother recalls.
For his 25th birthday, instead of a gift, I sent him lots of homemade treats,” Viktoria Lavrenko reminisces.
**Days of Waiting**
Her son went off to war, and his mother, a seamstress, sat down at her sewing machine. “I so wanted to make some protective charms for my son and his unit. I came home from work, sat down at the sewing machine, and made 12 summer hats. Later, they sent me a group photo of them wearing the hats. Maksym said, ‘Mom, it will protect me,'” the woman recalls.
Maksym took part in the liberation of the Snihurivka area and was among the first to enter liberated Kherson.
**Short Leaves**
Maksym’s first leave caught Viktoria by surprise. She says she kept asking when he would come. Then one morning at four o’clock, her buzzer rang. She heard, “Mama, open the door.”
She recalls trying not to ask him about the war. However, one evening, Maksym brought it up himself.
“He told me about a comrade who had died, who was only 21 years old. Max cried then. And I realized I didn’t want him to recall the painful moments. So we talked about anything but the war,” she says.
One night, Viktoria was awakened by her son screaming in his sleep. But he never told her what he had dreamed about.
The last time his mother saw him alive was in March 2023.
**The Last Message, The Last Photo**
Viktoria says she remembers the last week before her son’s death down to the minute.
“I was on my way to work, went on Instagram, saw he was online, and wrote, ‘Son, are you okay?’ The reply came immediately. He wrote that everything was fine and sent me a photo. But his eyes were so sad. He was at his position. I wrote back, ‘I love you so much. Take care of yourself,'” Viktoria recalls.
The young man didn’t reply again. She wrote to him, but there was no answer.
“Saturday. I got up, walked around the house. I took the dog for a walk. I couldn’t pull myself together. At 10:09, I wrote to him again. I knew something irreversible had happened. Later in the evening, the command called and told me he had been severely wounded and they couldn’t save him,” she says.
“At the funeral, I asked for the coffin to be opened so I could see him one last time. That day was like a fog for me. I cry now, but then I didn’t understand anything. When they were closing the coffin, I screamed for them to let me look at him just a little longer,” Viktoria says.
She adds that last year, even before her son’s death, she wanted to go to Marsove Pole (a Lviv military cemetery) to thank the soldiers. Now she goes there all the time. Every week, she looks forward to the weekend to go to her son and the other fallen warriors.
It hurts my heart to read. Eternal memory Maksym, God bless Victoria her heart 😞 I can never forget to seeing my mother in law when she knew, it scares me in some way still.
No one should have to be a hero , fuck Putin , fuck Russia.
Rest in Peace
Героям слава 🇺🇦🇺🇦
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK RUSSIA MAN 😭
I have a question about Ukrainian funeral customs – I see most of the women wearing black head coverings. Is this a normal thing to signify mourning? Or an expectation of what you should be wearing? (Like for instance in the states black/dark clothing is usually considered respectful).
Thanks for any responses and bless this poor mother and her son’s family, friends and compatriots. Героям слава
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice.
12 comments
Maksym Lavrenko, the commander of a mortar crew of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade, died on July 1, 2023. He was 25 years old. He participated in combat operations in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions.
Maksym’s mother, Viktoria Lavrenko, shared memories of her son and talked about their last conversation.
On February 24, 2022, Viktoria woke her son with the words, “The war has started.” She recalls that Maksym opened his eyes, but still in the haze of sleep, did not understand what she was saying. Then she opened the window, and the sound of the air raid siren filled the room. The young man listened for a few seconds, then quickly began to get ready.
“Mama, I’m going to the military enlistment office,” he explained.
**Dreamed of Becoming a Cook**
Viktoria says that as a child, Maksym was passionate about sports and played mini-football from the second grade. As he grew older, he attended a sambo wrestling section. His mother always attended the matches in which her son participated, celebrating his successes and comforting him in case of losses.
“Maksym thought of becoming a programmer. But when he was finishing his studies, he wanted to study to become a cook instead. He loved cooking very much. Even while in the combat zone, he cooked borshch, cabbage soup, and various salads,” his mother recalls.
For his 25th birthday, instead of a gift, I sent him lots of homemade treats,” Viktoria Lavrenko reminisces.
**Days of Waiting**
Her son went off to war, and his mother, a seamstress, sat down at her sewing machine. “I so wanted to make some protective charms for my son and his unit. I came home from work, sat down at the sewing machine, and made 12 summer hats. Later, they sent me a group photo of them wearing the hats. Maksym said, ‘Mom, it will protect me,'” the woman recalls.
Maksym took part in the liberation of the Snihurivka area and was among the first to enter liberated Kherson.
**Short Leaves**
Maksym’s first leave caught Viktoria by surprise. She says she kept asking when he would come. Then one morning at four o’clock, her buzzer rang. She heard, “Mama, open the door.”
She recalls trying not to ask him about the war. However, one evening, Maksym brought it up himself.
“He told me about a comrade who had died, who was only 21 years old. Max cried then. And I realized I didn’t want him to recall the painful moments. So we talked about anything but the war,” she says.
One night, Viktoria was awakened by her son screaming in his sleep. But he never told her what he had dreamed about.
The last time his mother saw him alive was in March 2023.
**The Last Message, The Last Photo**
Viktoria says she remembers the last week before her son’s death down to the minute.
“I was on my way to work, went on Instagram, saw he was online, and wrote, ‘Son, are you okay?’ The reply came immediately. He wrote that everything was fine and sent me a photo. But his eyes were so sad. He was at his position. I wrote back, ‘I love you so much. Take care of yourself,'” Viktoria recalls.
The young man didn’t reply again. She wrote to him, but there was no answer.
“Saturday. I got up, walked around the house. I took the dog for a walk. I couldn’t pull myself together. At 10:09, I wrote to him again. I knew something irreversible had happened. Later in the evening, the command called and told me he had been severely wounded and they couldn’t save him,” she says.
“At the funeral, I asked for the coffin to be opened so I could see him one last time. That day was like a fog for me. I cry now, but then I didn’t understand anything. When they were closing the coffin, I screamed for them to let me look at him just a little longer,” Viktoria says.
She adds that last year, even before her son’s death, she wanted to go to Marsove Pole (a Lviv military cemetery) to thank the soldiers. Now she goes there all the time. Every week, she looks forward to the weekend to go to her son and the other fallen warriors.
**Source:** [**https://suspilne.media/lviv/809793-mam-a-u-vijskkomat-spogadi-materi-zagiblogo-vijskovosluzbovca-zi-lvova/**](https://suspilne.media/lviv/809793-mam-a-u-vijskkomat-spogadi-materi-zagiblogo-vijskovosluzbovca-zi-lvova/)
Glory to this Hero!
RIP HERO❤️
May Russia never be forgiven.
Slava Ukraini and Maksym. He is a hero.
It hurts my heart to read. Eternal memory Maksym, God bless Victoria her heart 😞 I can never forget to seeing my mother in law when she knew, it scares me in some way still.
No one should have to be a hero , fuck Putin , fuck Russia.
Rest in Peace
Героям слава 🇺🇦🇺🇦
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK RUSSIA MAN 😭
I have a question about Ukrainian funeral customs – I see most of the women wearing black head coverings. Is this a normal thing to signify mourning? Or an expectation of what you should be wearing? (Like for instance in the states black/dark clothing is usually considered respectful).
Thanks for any responses and bless this poor mother and her son’s family, friends and compatriots. Героям слава
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice.
This made me cry.