Maxim is a young man from Nova Kakhovka. After the occupation began, he tried to continue his studies remotely at a Ukrainian college, although his sister and legal guardian submitted documents for his enrollment in a Russian educational institution. While living in the occupied territory, the boy was repeatedly stopped and searched unlawfully by Russian military personnel.

Due to the danger in Nova Kakhovka, Maxim moved to Henichesk with his sister’s family. Later, he was taken to a camp supposedly for educational purposes, where classes were held presenting history from a Russian perspective and filled with propaganda. Maxim recalls this period as a time when he felt unwanted and out of place.

In August 2023, Maxim left the occupied territory together with his sister and her family. Their route went through the occupied Kherson region, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus to Europe. Later, Maxim decided to return to Ukraine together with his girlfriend.

Maxim currently lives and works in Kyiv. He completed 11 years of schooling online, is considering applying to university, engages in civic activities, and is working on two books about his experience of living under occupation.