Maksym Shtatskyi, employee of National Reserve Khortytsia, killed in action
Pravda Ukraine
Maksym Shtatskyi, a National Reserve Khortytsia employee, a Zaporizhzhian scientist, and historian of the Mennonites (medieval Christian Protestant movement), has been killed in action.
The death of the 35-year-old scientist was reported by his wife Dariia Shtatska on her Facebook.
“There are no details and there won’t be any for now… On 12.02.2024 you left us,” she wrote.
The scientist’s death was also reported on the National Reserve Khortytsia’s Facebook page, where Shtatskyi worked prior to the war.
“There is another massive void in our team and in our hearts. Unending honour and respect for the Hero on the shield (i.e. dead – ed.). Condolences to [Maksym’s] family and friends.” the reserve staff said.
Maksym Shtatskyi graduated from the History Department at Zaporizhzhia National University in 2010. He worked as a researcher for the National Reserve Khortytsia. He researched the history of Mennonite Germans.
In 2019, he led an expedition that discovered approximately 300 fragments of tombstones from the destroyed Mennonite cemetery beneath the foundation of an old pantry on the Upper University. The finds were then restored, and the Khortytsia Mennonite Memorial reopened in 2021.
Shtatskyi was also involved in the discovery of the pedestal for the memorial to the first Mennonite immigrants. It was founded in 1890, disappeared in 1943, and was discovered in 2021 by scientists.
Statsky was a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He used the alias ‘Historian’.
“Six months of war. Yes, you see many things differently. The most difficult challenge is to stay true to yourself. Simply acting politely, using ‘thank you,’ ‘sorry,’ and so on. It is not easy. It is difficult to stay above the waterline of simplification and coarsening. Oh, war. It is like a solid contest on a village wedding. Foolish, but necessary. It’s like a carousel, fun but still sickening. But no one else will do it, right?” Maksym Shtatskyi wrote in October 2023.
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