A priest of the Rivne Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was awarded a posthumous medal that had originally been awarded to his son, a soldier who was killed in action

On June 8, 2026, a ceremony was held at the Rivne District State Administration to present a state award—the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd Class (posthumously)—to soldier Oleksandr Maksymiuk. The high honor for the fallen hero was received by his father—Archpriest Alexander Maksimyuk, Dean of the Ostroh Deanery of the Rivne Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, citing the press service of the Rivne Diocese, Alexander Maksimyuk Jr. voluntarily joined the ranks of Ukraine’s defenders. He served in the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and died heroically while rescuing a fellow soldier from a vehicle that had come under enemy fire.

Relatives, friends, and the secretary of the Rivne Diocese, Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanoy, came to support the family of the fallen defender. Upon receiving the award, the father of the fallen soldier noted with sorrow that no decorations could replace his son, and that he would have preferred to see him alive, receiving the well-deserved award himself.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church expresses its deepest condolences to the family and offers prayers for the repose of the soul of the newly departed soldier Alexander and all defenders who gave their lives for the peace and freedom of their homeland. Eternal memory to the hero!