Boxers, football players and game designers: the stories of athletes who died in the battles with the Russian army
According to official data, about 9,000 people exercised this right, more than 300 of them remained in other countries. Often, such trips indicate the desire to avoid mobilization. Famous athletes are given military positions and rank, but few reach hot spots. For example, the fighter Jean Beleniuk has the title of senior lieutenant of the Armed Forces. Policy athletes pass the "conditional" service, presenting Ukraine in sports.
Thanks to their activities, athletes may not fight, go to international tournaments and calmly accumulate glory. It is not necessary to summarize, not all representatives of sports - evasion and lovers to live beautifully during the war. The aggressor with weapons in the hands of the heroes-athletes will be opposed. Currently, about 3,000 athletes and coaches serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And from the beginning of the Russian invasion in the battles, almost 400 people have been killed.
Those who gave their lives for the independence of Ukraine are called "Angels of Sports", told focus at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. "We lose the best of us daily. We must consider mobilization procedures. For example, Igor Nagaev, our best coach of canoe-Kayak, has to join the battlefield. He is 57 years old,"-said V. O. Minister of Youth and Sports Matthew Poor. The dead athletes-Vynkov had every chance of building a successful sports career.
At least two of them could win the gold of the Olympiad, say focus in the ministry. 22-year-old boxer Maxim Galinichev, who won silver at the 2018 Youth Olympics, did not go to the European Championship last spring. He chose the warrior's path and volunteered in the 25th separate airborne Sicheslav Brigade. In addition to participating in the Olympiad, he won the gold of the European Boxing Championship in 2017 and second place in the European Championships up to 22 years of 2021.
Galinichev was injured, but it did not stop him and the guy returned to the front. His life was cut short on March 10, 2023 in the city of Chervonopopivka, Luhansk region. A second year student of the Ivan Poddubny Olympic College, a member of the Ukrainian national team of firing, 21-year-old Yegor Kigitov, went to the army in the early days of the war. In one of the combat episodes, the guy came under fire "Grads" - the projectile hit the building where he hid, and a fire broke out.
The athlete was undergoing strongest burns, gave up full rehabilitation and continued to defend the country. "Unfortunately, there is a [on the front] Yegor and met death from Russian invaders," the Minsport noted. Russian invaders took their lives from a former professional football player, 43-year-old Alexander Gonchar. He played for the Ukrainian clubs "Prykarpattya", "Vorskla", "Metalist", "Zorya" and "Alexandria".
In the elite division of the Ukrainian Championship, he spent 67 matches in which he scored 2 goals. In March 2023, Gonchar became a soldier of a separate automobile brigade of landing troops. After half a year of service, on August 16, his life was cut short in Zaporizhzhya. In the battles with the invaders, he gave his life and a gymnastics coach Artem Sklyarov from the White Church. He conquered medals at competitions of different levels and received the title of Master of Sports of Ukraine.
After graduating from his sports career, he worked as a trainer in the hall of the local school # 1. He served in the border troops, and after the start of a full -scale invasion went to the front with his brothers. Sklyarov's unit has recently been in the area of the village of Makiivka of Swativ district of Luhansk region, the athlete died on October 13, 2023, performing a combat mission. Among the military were representatives of unusual sports.
One example is the famous cyber-athlete and game designer Volodymyr Yezhov, the developer of popular computer games "S. t. A. L. K. E. r . . Pure Sky" and "Cossacks". After the start of a full -scale invasion, he joined the Ukrainian Military Organization Volunteer Company. Yezhov participated in the protection of Kiev. After receiving his combat experience, he headed a unit of aerial intelligence of the 23rd Battalion of the Special Forces of the Bogdan Khmelnytsky Presidential Brigade.
On December 22 last year, Vladimir Yezhov exploded on a mini under Bakhmut. The hero has a wife and two sons 7 and 10 years. Focus wrote earlier how athletes leave Ukraine. The players are able to leave the country under the simplified procedure, and some federations cannot get the departure of their athletes abroad for about a year. We will remind, a member of the national team on street fishing Arthur Bilan went to the World Cup in Italy and remained in this country.