Ukrainian war veterans swim Bosphorus strait in triumph over war injuries
Istanbul, Aug 25: During a pool training session months ago, Ukrainian war veteran Oleh Tserkovnyi was struck by an idea: What if a group of veterans swam across the strait of Bosphorus, between Turkey’s European and Asian shores? And if they did it on Aug 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day? The symbolism of the day would draw attention to the toll and devastation inflicted by Russia’s full-out war on Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
When the 34-year-old pitched the idea to fellow veterans in their One for Another support group, none raised injuries, particularly their amputations, as a barrier. Two joined him right away.
They trained for months, with the support of Superhumans Centre, a veterans’ rehabilitation clinic in Ukraine, and coached by CapitalTRI, an amateur triathlon team in Kyiv. They agreed their race would have another goal – to raise money for prosthetics, which remain costly and urgently needed by many of Ukraine’s wounded.
“We’re not asking for pity,” Tserkovnyi said shortly before the competition. “We’re asking for support.”
A race that links continents
After months of rigorous training, discipline and physical challenges, the three Ukrainian veterans on Sunday joined more than 2,800 swimmers from 81 countries in the 6.5-kilometre crossing from Asia to Europe.
The Bosphorus Intercontinental Swimming Race is an open-water event held each year in Istanbul, organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee since 1989.
All three Ukrainians completed the crossing, each swimming for more than an hour. The two veterans with amputations faced setbacks even before the start – the organisers initially barred them from competing, insisting they have to be in a separate category for people with disabilities.
But they persevered and swam the race, alongside the others.
For the Ukrainians, it wasn’t just about endurance but about reclaiming control over bodies transformed by war – and sharing their recovery with a world that often seems indifferent to the injuries they carry.
Tserkovnyi who survived two severe, life-changing concussions was joined by 47-year-old engineer Pavlo Tovstyk, who stepped on a landmine in June 2023 while serving as a driver in an intelligence unit.
28-year-old Oleksandr Dashko, who lost his left leg, in June 2023, after a mine exploded near him and shrapnel tore into his knee, was the other veteran who completed the race. (AP)