Actor, Maksym Kovtun, killed on front line defending Ukraine

Actor-turned-soldier Maksym Kovtun was killed on the front line, the Dnipro Academic Youth Theater said on May 2.

"Maksym went to the front to protect our country, our freedom, and our future," the theater said in a post to social media.

Kovtun was a member of the youth theater before he began serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Maksym Kovtun died defending Ukraine. His roles — bright, sincere, full of warmth — will forever remain in our hearts. He played for children and adults, giving joy, laughter, and deep emotions," the theater said.

"Our entire theater team, colleagues, and friends express their deepest condolences to Maksym's family, his loved ones, and everyone who was by Maksym's side in life," the theater said.

More than 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale war in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February.

Ukraine repatriated the bodies of 909 soldiers killed in Russia's war, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs announced on April 18.

Many have abandoned their careers to defend on the front line as Russia continues to wage its war against Ukraine.

Artur Shybalov, a former cameraman and editor who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was killed fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast on March 13, his mother said on March 20.