Ukraine’s amputee veterans celebrate independence day with gruelling endurance challenge

Ukrainian war veteran Evheny Lakhnenko puts on his goggles during a sporting event to encourage people and injured soldiers to do sports in a lake at on the outskirts of Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, during the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

KYIV, Ukraine — Military amputees and war veterans in Ukraine marked Independence Day on Monday by finishing a gruelling endurance race that took them more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) around the country.

At a lake outside the capital, Kyiv, athletes removed their prosthetics and pulled on wetsuits to complete on the closing day of the weeklong event, with some needing help to get into the water.

Known as Iron Week, the competition is led by three-time Olympic triathlete Danylo Sapunov, who supports veterans as the country endures more than four years of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“This is not a competition. There is no winner, and it does not matter who swims faster,” Sapunov said as athletes gathered at the lake. “The important thing is to participate and unite as one.”

Ukraine is marking the anniversary of its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union as European leaders traveled to Kyiv to join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for official celebrations.

The amputee athletes completed seven consecutive days of competition — swimming, cycling and distance running — while travelling around Ukraine, including through war-torn cities in the east.

Yevhenii Lakhnenko, a 46-year-old army serviceman who had his right arm and left leg amputated after being wounded last October, said swimming had been central to his recovery.

“I am finishing my recovery and will get back in the ranks,” he said. “I do not think there is another country in the world as strong as Ukraine. Only our people are capable of doing what we are doing.”

Maksym Yuzviak, 35, a strike-drone operator who lost both legs in January 2025, said Ukraine’s independence rested on the actions of ordinary people.

“Independence is about the people,” he said. “People who are ready to take responsibility and who, as they say, are capable of taking action.”

Vasilisa Stepanenko And Fransisco Seco, The Associated Press