Kyiv pays last respect to documentary and photojournalist Max Levin at St. Michael's Cathedral. The funeral service is headed by the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphaniy.
His relatives, colleagues, comrades-in-arms and government officials came to pay their last respects to the deceased.
At 14:00 Max's funeral will take place at the new cemetery in Boyarka.
In his farewell address to the community, relatives, colleagues and friends of Max, Metropolitan Epiphaniy stressed that we are paying our last respect to a man who was dedicated to the service of the truth. "His service in a special way was that what he saw with his soul and eyes, he conveyed to the audience through photographs. One of the best photographers of modern Ukraine, Maxim Levin did not just work as a journalist. He really served, served something that is higher than the present, that concerns eternity. He served the truth, so in his own way, because of the talent given to him, he served God," said the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine(OCU).
Despite the danger that Max was fully aware of, the vocation to tell and show the truth meant more to him than danger. "Because the victory of lie, the victory of darkness, the victory of tyranny for Ukraine would have turned into a new circle of the hell on earth. Maxim was killed because he did not lie, as they used to in moscowiya(russia). Killed because he was not like skabieyevas and soloviyovs who in fact are already dead, although they still exist. Maxim, who with dignity and devotion even at the cost of life served truth and freedom, freedom of speech and thought - he did not die, he went to eternity, " said Metropolitan Epiphaniy.
"He lives in your memory, in the memory of many fans of his talent. He lives in his photos. He lives and will live in Ukraine, which did not surrender to the moscow tyrant, was not afraid, did not bend, but to the surprise of the whole world stands firm in the struggle and wins", - added the head of the OCU, calling to pray for peace for the soul of Max Levin and all those who laid down their lives for Ukraine.
Connection with the photojournalist and his colleague Oleksiy Chernyshov was lost on 13 March 2022. On 1 April 2022, the deceased Levin was found near the village of Guta Mezhyhirska.
According to the prosecutor's office, the journalist was killed by two shots from small arms. Maksym, accompanied by Oleksiy Chernyshov, a serviceman and former photographer, went to Guta Mezhyhirska on 13 March 2022 to document the consequences of the russian aggression. They left the car and headed towards the village of Moshchun. Since then, the connection with men was lost.
Later it became known that in the area where Max was going to work, intense fighting broke out.
3 April 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the deceased documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Levin the Order of Courage.
For more than 10 years Maxim worked for LB.ua, also collaborated with Reuters, BBC, TRT World, Associated Press, Hromadske. His photos were published by the Wall Street Journal, TIME, Breaking news Poland, EU AGENDA, World news, The Moscow Time, Korrespondent.net, ELLE, TV-24, Radio Bulgaria, Ukraine Crisis Media center, Vatican news, Radio Svoboda (RFE / RL ). Author of the project AFTER ILOVAYSK.
Most of his documentary projects are related to the war in Ukraine. "Every Ukrainian photographer dreams of taking a photo that will stop the war," the journalist explained.
Funeral and family assistance:
Monobank: 4441114420335646 - Zoryana Stelmakh;
PrivatBank: 5168757403122528 - Inna Varenytsia.