A Ukrainian poet who was serving as a volunteer on the war frontline against Russia’s invasion has been killed, his mother said in a Facebook post.
The writers association PEN Ukraine also confirmed the death of poet Maksym Kryvtsov.
“Poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov died in the war. This was reported by his mother, and later by Ukrainian writers on their pages in social networks,” it said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday.
His mother Nadiia Krytsova penned an emotional note on her Facebook. “My dearest son will sprout violets,” she wrote, citing one of his poems.
“Maksym Kryvtsov was an extremely bright person. He was a poet. Not a warrior. But he died. Died as a man. Like a warrior. The whole universe died with him. Texts and poems. New meanings. No lines written. Not lived minutes,” volunteer Lesia Lytvynova wrote.
The note added: “Unexperienced feelings. Are you sleeping well? Are you resting well? Does your morning latte taste good?”
Kryvtsov, 33, joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a volunteer in 2014. He is also the author of the book “Poems from the Loophole”, regarded as one of the best Ukrainian books of 2023, by Ukrainian PEN. It also included the published book in its list of best Ukrainian books.
Kryvtsov published the book when he returned to the frontline in 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, PEN Ukraine said.
"We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the hero," the statement added.
The Ukrainian citizen also worked at the Centre for Rehabilitation and Readaptation of Anti-Terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation participants and the Veteran Hub, reported Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda.
Officials in Kyiv and Armed Forces of Ukraine have not issued a formal statement over Kryvtsov’s death and the circumstances. His position on the frontline and the region of serving is also not immediately clear.
