Ukrainian soccer player died near Bakhmut while rescuing wounded brothers

Oleh Makarenko, a football player from Bucha, was killed in the battles with the Russian occupiers. The tragedy occurred in the Donetsk region, where the 49-year-old defender served as a senior soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On November 28, Makarenko came under enemy fire in the Bakhmut sector and gave his life saving his wounded comrades from the battlefield.

The loss of Oleh Makarenko was reported by representatives of Bucha Football on their social media page. They noted that the defender was an iconic figure in the history of the local sports community.

Makarenko was born on June 5, 1974, and lived in Bucha, one of Kyiv's greenest suburbs. Since childhood, he was very fond of football and, together with his brother Viacheslav, founded the Bucha-03 club in his hometown in 2003.

Local boys united around the second powerhouse of Bucha football, who participated in the Kyiv-Svyatoshynskyi district competitions and won the first district league in 2011. They also successfully played in the Bucha community championship. All this time Makarenko played for his club as a defender and took care of the team.

The athlete also loved motorcycles and hunting. And on the first day of the full-scale invasion of the Russian occupiers, he volunteered to defend his city. During the occupation of Bucha, Oleh kept his fellow countrymen informed of military events and helped his comrades.

Armed with a gun, Makarenko took an active part in the de-occupation of the Bucha district, Irpin, and then the entire Kyiv region. Later, already in the ranks of the Armed Forces, he went through many of the hottest spots - he held back the aggressor on the northeastern and southeastern fronts.

Recently, the 49-year-old senior soldier served in the Bakhmut sector of Donetsk region. But on November 28, he and his comrades came under enemy fire. While evacuating his wounded comrades from the battlefield, Makarenko sustained severe injuries that proved to be incompatible with life.

At home, the hero is survived by three daughters - Maria, Tetiana and Antonina. The funeral service for the fallen defender will take place on December 6 in his native Bucha.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that Russian occupants killed a former football player of a number of Ukrainian clubs. 50-year-old defender Vitalii Zalizniak and his teammates came under enemy fire near the village of Zaliznychne.

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