Former ABC News producer Max Oseredchuk dies in Russian drone attack
Oseredchuk was killed Wednesday night while serving in Ukraine’s military.
London -- Former ABC News producer and driver Maksym "Max" Oseredchuk was killed in a Russian drone strike on Wednesday night while serving in Ukraine’s military. He was 30 years old, and is survived by his wife, Kateryna, and his baby daughter, Maria.
Max was born on Nov. 4, 1995 in the city of Vuhledar, a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The city was almost entirely destroyed and has been occupied by Russia since early 2023.
After graduating with a master's degree in business economics from the University of Vinnytsia, for several years Max worked in business as a logistics manager. But soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Max began working with ABC News from the capital city of Kyiv. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Sasha, who is also a driver for international media.
In the most troubling times and with his country under attack, Max quickly became a beloved and integral part of the ABC News team, reporting at the heart of one of the most devastating wars in modern history.
Max’s qualities, as a colleague and friend, were clear for all those who were lucky enough to work with him. His knowledge of the roads, particularly in the most dangerous parts of eastern Ukraine, as well as his sense of humor, calm demeanor and dry wit made him an essential part of any successful assignment.
Max loved his work, his country and his teammates. He drove many ABC News teams across the length and breadth of Ukraine for a number of years, to the frontlines and back, keeping our crews safe in one of the most challenging environments in the world. Max was no ordinary colleague – he touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with. Max believed in the journalistic mission of telling the stories from the hardest-to-reach parts of his country that are still under attack.
Max took pride in helping out his colleagues any way he could – going above and beyond after long journeys, with little sleep, helping the teams get where they needed to be, in good spirits, even as his own country, and his own family and friends, suffered through the war, forced to flee their home. The family’s apartment in Vuhledar was destroyed as Russia seized the city.
After leaving ABC News, Max worked for the New York Times as a driver and fixer, often in some of the most hazardous areas of frontline. His love for his work was infectious.
Several months ago, Max was drafted into Ukraine's military, assigned to the 34th Marine Brigade. At the time he told an ABC colleague, "if this is what fate has brought, I will defend my country and my daughter."
Despite working in the most difficult circumstances – as a journalist and then as a soldier - Max stayed in contact with his ABC News colleagues when he was on assignment. He would share his own stories and ask after his friends who were deployed around the world, always with kindness, affection and his characteristic sense of humor.
His 9-month-old daughter, Maria, was born in September last year. He will be mourned by all at ABC News as a beloved colleague, husband, father and friend.
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