Ukrainian 22-year-old boxing champion dies defending his country from Russia
Topics: News, World News, Russia, Ukraine
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@Gerashchenko_en
Topics: News, World News, Russia, Ukraine
A 22-year-old Ukrainian boxing champion has died fighting against Russia's invasion of his country, officials have announced.
Maksym Galinichev was a European youth boxing champion, winning gold at the 2017 European Youth Championships and earning silver at the 2018 Youth Olympics.
When Ukraine was invaded by Russian troops in February 2022, he volunteered to join the fight and has since been killed during Vladimir Putin's invasion.
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His death was announced on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Ukrainian minister for internal affairs.
Following the announcement a huge number of tributes poured in for the young boxer, hailing him as a hero who laid down his life in defence of his country.
Gerashchenko wrote: "Maksym Galinichev, 22, European youth boxing champion, died defending Ukraine in Luhansk region.
"Maksym enlisted as a volunteer and came back to the frontlines twice after being wounded and recovering. Eternal memory to Hero."
He also shared a picture of the champion boxer in military gear taken during his time fighting the Russian invasion.
People responded by calling the boxing champion a 'brave defender of a beautiful country', while others offered their 'deepest condolences to his family'.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February last year and has since failed in its objectives to topple Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government or secure quick territorial gains in Eastern regions of Ukraine.
The invasion has instead become bogged down as several nations have supplied Ukrainian forces with armaments and the Russians have had to draw on far more resources than they would have intended.
Russian leader Putin has been issued with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes in Ukraine over his alleged involvement with the abduction of children.
The warrant was issued earlier this month in relation to allegations that Russian troops were abducting Ukrainian children from occupied territory and sending them to Russia.
Millions of Ukrainian civilians have been displaced by the Russian invasion, with many of them fleeing westwards to seek refuge from Putin's troops.
Within the Russian borders a number of high-profile critics of the Putin regime have ended up dead in mysterious circumstances, while they are even punishing people for having dreams which include the Ukrainian president Zelenskyy.
There are also serious concerns over the safety of Ukraine's nuclear facilities after they have become battlegrounds and targeted by shelling.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for measures to prevent a nuclear emergency.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information