As part of a new exchange, Maxim Kolesnikov, a former restaurateur from Donetsk, has returned to Ukraine. People who have known him for a long time began to write that the defender has changed a lot. In addition, he tasted fruit for the first time in 11 months.

During the large-scale exchange, which took place on February 4, in addition to Maxim, another 115 military returned home. Interestingly, since 2015, Kolesnikov himself has been keeping the “Mobilized Diary”, which has become famous among netizens. Read everything that is known about this military man in the articleChannel 24.

Being captured and changes in appearance

< p>It is known that Maxim Kolesnikov was taken prisoner by the invaders back in March 2022, that is, a few weeks after the start of a full-scale invasion. It happened in the Kyiv region.

Then they started filming propaganda stories in which the soldiers of the Armed Forces, in particular Mr. Maxim, were accused of supposedly neo-Nazi views. Also, Putin's journalists of one of the federal TV channels spoke about the hostile attitude of Ukrainian soldiers towards Russia. Although, it must be admitted, they did not lie about the second thesis, because it is simply impossible to treat the state, which is an aggressor and occupier, differently.

Fortunately, now the defender Maxim Kolesnikov, along with his brothers, are at home. Journalist Roman Shraik was one of the first to write about this. He noted that Maxim had changed a lot during this period.

I looked at photos with released captives. I noticed a guy with an apple, a very eloquent photo. But I did not understand that this was my friend Max Kolesnikov. Did not recognize. Welcome back from hell, Max, Shrike stated.

After captivity and before him: how Maxim Kolesnikov has changed

At the same time, another friend of Maxim, named Ekaterina Zolotareva, wrote in her social networks what to find out in the first photo of a beautiful, stately, stylish, very smart, decent and intelligent Max is very difficult.

Exactly half of the person whom I saw in real life for the last time remained from him. Missed, turned gray completely. And the way he looks at this apple… Terribly painful, but at the same time incredibly joyful! What infinite happiness that he has returned,” she said.

Pay attention! It is clear from the footage of Kolesnikov's interrogation by the Russians that he refused to call the Ukrainians Nazis. Actually, the occupiers demanded that he do this during the filming of another propaganda story.There is no doubt that the “image of the day” on February 4 is a photo in which Maxim Kolesnikov is holding an apple and wants to bite it. The author of this photo said that the man was afraid to taste the fruit, because he did not eat something like this almost all year round.

This photo came out by accident. I thought about making a video, but I “missed” it with the button, and it turned out to be a photo,” Andrei Kachor commented on the photograph.

In addition, the media distributed a video of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in which Maxim is eating an apple.

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Other important facts about Maxim Kolesnikov

• In the past, he was a restaurateur, but in 2015, during the mobilization, he went to defend his native Donbass from Russian invaders.
• Then on his social networks, Maxim began to keep a kind of online diary, where he described the preparation of Ukrainian military personnel for battles, the everyday life of soldiers and raised many important topics in general.
• On the first day of a full-scale invasion – that is, February 24 – Kolesnikov went to the military registration and defend the state.
• At that moment, the capital became his hometown. Actually, he lived in Kyiv in recent years before he again went to defend his native land.

Recall February 4, as part of the exchange with Ukraine, together with Maxim Kolesnikov and 115 alive defenders managed to return, in particular, the bodies of British volunteers who died near Soledar in the Donetsk region. We are talking about Briton Christopher Matthew Perry, New Zealander Andrew Tobias Matthew Begshaw and Ukrainian Yevhen Kulik.