Heroes do not die: Maxim Petkov

"The four of us fought: me, my two sons, and my son-in-law," says Heorhii Petkov. On August 8, 2025, his son Maksym was killed near the village of Novodanylivka, Polohiv district, Zaporizhzhia region. After a regular rotation, the vehicle of Maksym Petkov, a junior sergeant with the 10th Infantry Company of the 4th Battalion of the 122nd Brigade, came under attack by enemy FPV drones.

Theintent continues the series of publications about the fallen defenderscalled Heroes Do Not Die.

Maksym's wife Iryna Borysivna and father Heorhiy Fedorovych told us about Maksym's life, his service and family.

"We met in November 2006 at the wedding of his cousin," Iryna recalls. - "It was raining and cold that day. But when I saw Maksym, I immediately felt warm. It was probably love at first sight."

PHOTO provided by the interviewees

Maksym's father owned buses, and together they worked on passenger routes: Odesa-Bershad, Odesa-Chornomorsk, Odesa-Ovidiopol.

"Back in 2014, I tried to join the army," says Heorhii Fedorovych, "but I was not accepted. I was born in 1962, and the age limit was 45. But I did not stop. I was looking for opportunities and in 2018, I finally joined the army. I served as a senior technician in a unit that works with Neptune missiles. My son-in-law Valerii Starchenko, the husband of my younger daughter, was also with me in the ATO. He is now serving in the 35th Brigade."

PHOTO provided by the interviewees

"Maksym and I have two sons," Iryna Borysivna continues, "The eldest is Nikita, born in 2008. He is very much like his father: whatever he starts, he will definitely finish it. Together they plastered and repaired the bathhouse. The youngest is Kirill. He looks very much like Maksym and always obeys his older brother."

PHOTO courtesy of the interviewees

When the full-scale invasion began, Maksym and Valerii went to the military commissariat. Valeriy was accepted immediately - he had combat experience in the ATO. Maksym did not.

"He was very depressed at the time," Iryna recalls. "On March 4, he went to the military commissariat again. And this time he was accepted to the training center."

"Both of my sons, Maksym and Denys, served in the same unit," says Heorhii Fedorovych, "and my son-in-law and I were in the 406th Brigade, in the 66th Division. We were constantly in touch - we had our own group for four.

PHOTO courtesy of the interviewees

Everyone has been to ground zero. First the Kherson direction, then Bakhmut. For some time, my sons and son-in-law fought in the Pokrovsk sector, although in different units. There were about twelve kilometers between them, but they still found an opportunity to meet."

"I always tried to visit my husband," says Iryna Borysivna. "At first, he served not far from home, in Bolhrad. Then I came to visit him near Bakhmut and in Sumy region.

The last time we saw each other was on July 12, 2025, near Zaporizhzhia. Maksym bought me flowers, waited for me, bought me gifts, and was very tender. We were so happy."

Iryna knew that Maksym and his partner Vitalii Terzi often went on the most difficult missions. "I asked him to be more careful, not to take so many risks. And he replied: "How do you imagine? There are wounded, there are hungry people - they are waiting. What if we need to take the dead from the positions?" Maksym was like that. He was always ready to give up his most precious possessions for his comrades and country. He is a true hero. And I am proud of him."

"My unit took part in the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva in April 2022," says Heorhii Fedorovych, "and I will say this: our soldiers are the best. They are strong people who know how to work, fight and stick together. We are on our own land. And we will win it back. And then we will rebuild everything."

Антон Терехов