We often asked him: ‘You’re a successful businessman; why do you need all this war, this country? To this, he would simply remain silent and smile. It was an exhaustive answer.
Volodymyr Maksymiv – “Max”, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier
Marko (Markiyan Hryhoriy) Paslawsky (1959-2014) was a US-born Ukrainian who moved to Ukraine to contribute to its economic development and, with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, came to its defense as a private in the Donbas Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Mr. Paslawsky was born to Ukrainian immigrants on January 16, 1959, in New York City. He attended Ukrainian parochial and American high schools. He was a Plast and the Black Sea Sich sports society member and excelled at football and volleyball.
He graduated from West Point, the most prestigious military academy in the United States, and served five years in the U.S. Army. He majored in financial and investment analytics. In 1992, he moved to Ukraine and became one of the leading specialists in the investment sector. He actively participated in public and political life, including the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity. He was one of the participants in the fighting on Instytutska Street in February 2014.
After the Russian-Ukrainian undeclared war outbreak in 2014, he received Ukrainian citizenship and joined the Donbas battalion as an ordinary volunteer. He had the call sign “Franko” in honor of the writer Ivan Franko. As a corps member, he fought in the battles of Sloviansk, Bakhmut, Popasna, Lysychansk, Kurakhove, and Maryinka. His comrades remembered “Franko” as an experienced fighter who always shared his knowledge and skills.
He died on August 19, 2014, during the battle for the liberation of Ilovaisk in Donetsk region. He was buried at Askold’s grave in Kyiv. He was awarded the Order of Danylo Halytsky posthumously and the “People’s Hero of Ukraine” honor.
