Actor of series Servant of the People and strongman Ivan Kononenko killed at front
Ukrainian actor, strongman and military man Ivan Kononenko, who was considered missing for almost a year, was killed at the front. He was 42 years old. The death was reported by the actor's sister, the State Film Agency reports.
It is reported that Kononenko was killed in the Kursk Axis. The funeral took place on December 9 in Kyiv.
"Ivan was not only a military man - before the full-scale war, he worked in the film industry and sports environment for many years. He was a member of the team of the legendary Vasyl Virastiuk, was a prize-winner and winner of dozens of competitions, including the Ukraine Open 2006 Olimp Strongman," the State Film Agency announced in a statement.
Kononenko went to the front as a volunteer in the spring of 2022. After being seriously wounded in 2023, he underwent rehabilitation and worked in the territorial recruitment center, but later returned to combat units. The Pamyat [Memory] platform notes that on February 25, 2025, he went missing in the area of the settlement of Ingulsky, Kursk Oblast.
"I went to the Kursk Axis. I volunteered myself, voluntarily. That's all for now," the military man wrote on Instagram in November 2024.
Before serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kononenko starred in many films and TV series. He played in the projects Servant of the People, Hell Banner, or Cossack Christmas, Serf, First Swallows, Crazy Wedding, Kyiv Day and Night, Real Mysticism and others, and also participated in advertising campaigns.
The deceased soldier is survived by two sons - 15-year-old Arkhyp and 5-year-old Mykyta.
As previously reported, Ukrainian actor and volunteer Oleksii Nakonechnyi, known to his comrades by the call sign Artist, was killed in a tragic traffic accident while returning from vacation to his military unit.