Maksym Bugel
A Major who served in the 81st Airmobile Brigade, 80th Separate Airborne Brigade, and 95th Separate Airborne Brigade. Veteran of two phases of the war. Reenactor and IT specialist.
Author of the short story “I Will Speak Your Name, So You Will Not Be Forgotten” in the collection Stories of Warriors — a poignant tale of camaraderie that arises suddenly, sometimes lasts too briefly, but remains in memory forever. It is a story about people, about laughter and loss, about saving one’s comrades. This is a text of remembrance, a text of memory that keeps names alive and reminds us of what truly matters.
Military path
He served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine from August 2014 to September 2015, and again from February 2022 to the present.
During the winter of 2014–2015, he took part in fierce battles near Donetsk Airport and Avdiivka. After returning to the war in 2022, he served in Mykolaiv region (Voznesensk, Snihurivka), Kherson region (Vysokopillia, Novovoznesenske), and on several challenging sections of Donetsk region — Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Sviatohirsk, and Tetianivka.
He participated in the Kharkiv offensive operation: breaking through to Senkivka on the Oskil River, advancing after the liberation of Izium toward Shyikivka, and then prolonged maneuvering along the Svatove–Kreminna line, followed by a transition to Bakhmut.
From 2023, he served as battalion chief of staff. In 2024, after disagreeing with the vision of the new battalion commander, he transferred to the 95th Brigade. Since April 2025, he has been commander of a strike drone company.
In 2022, he was wounded three times. After his last injury, he served for a period in the staff and was not allowed to participate in combat operations.
He has been awarded the full set of the Order “For Courage” and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd Class.
In the first days of the offensive in Mykolaiv region, we climbed a hill and saw our Cossacks running from the field into the forest. A little later, a Tiger and a KamAZ approached. The guys in my group said it was the enemy, but I replied that it was our troops, probably having captured enemy vehicles. I walked up to the KamAZ, about 20 meters away, and started telling the people in the truck’s cabin, “Get out, everything is fine.”
Saying that those in the cabin were shocked doesn’t even begin to cover it. Fortunately for us, everything ended safely and without losses — which cannot be said for the enemy.
Civilian Path
Before the full-scale war, Maksym earned a degree from Lviv Polytechnic National University. He worked for many years at UMC/MTS/Vodafone.
After demobilization in 2015, he began a new chapter — transitioning to the IT industry, where he continued his professional development. At the same time, he was involved in historical reenactment.
As of October 2025, Maksym is organizing a battalion while also managing the daily life of his unit.
How he started writing:
In 2016, I was interviewed about the events at Donetsk Airport, and since a lot of time had passed and those events had blended together in my memory, I made a mistake with the dates, which led to the number 244, symbolizing the number of days defending the airport. That’s why, when I returned to the army, I tried to record everything that happened each day — my impressions, my thoughts.
Favorite Books, Music, and Films
Books: “Captain Blood’s Odyssey” and “Midshipman Easy”.
Music: Bands “Tymchasova Nazva” and “ZWYNTAR”.
Lived as best I could, worked reasonably well, had dreams. Now, my only wish is to rest.