Recently, the Ukrainian team of veterans returned from the Marine Corps & Air Force Trials 2026 held in California, USA. Ukraine participated for the first time and won 46 medals across swimming, athletics, powerlifting, cycling, shooting, and other adaptive sports disciplines.
Fifteen Ukrainian veterans were selected to compete in the Trials following the national “HART” sports competition of Ukraine’s Defense Forces held in December 2025. Among them was Ivan Artiukh, who had undergone re-prosthetics just two months earlier through the Iceland-funded program implemented by Future for Ukraine together with Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics (MCOP) Ukraine.
At the competition in California, Ivan won four gold medals in para swimming: 100 m freestyle, 50 m freestyle, 50 m backstroke, and 50 m breaststroke. Just two months earlier, he had been dreaming of returning to sport and representing Ukraine internationally — at the Paralympic Games in the United States, in 2028. Through daily effort, that dream is now much closer.
Ivan is 25. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as an investigator in the police in his hometown of Siverskodonetsk. In 2022, he joined the ‘Luhansk-1’ battalion of the National Police, which later became part of the 'Fury Brigade’. He fought in the Luhansk region, took part in the liberation of the Kharkiv region, and in battles for Bakhmut and Klishchiivka. In April 2024, near Chasiv Yar, Ivan sustained a blast injury to his right leg caused by an enemy drone strike.
Due to gangrene, he underwent 15 surgeries. Three weeks later, as soon as he began regaining strength, he started looking for opportunities in veteran sports.
“Sport has always been part of my life: running, football, swimming, and gym workouts three times a week. I learned about amputee football and joined FC Shakhtar Stalevi, where field players have lower-limb loss, and the goalkeeper has upper-limb loss. It was a great experience to learn balance and retrain the body to use only the left leg,” Ivan says.
In 2025, Ivan received a prosthesis through the state program. However, for an active lifestyle, he needed a more comfortable prosthetic socket — the part of the prosthesis that connects to the residual limb. Then he contacted Future for Ukraine.
Together with the U.S.-based Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics, the foundation provides state-of-the-art prosthetic care of any complexity tailored to a patient’s lifestyle. The program is funded through grants, donor support, and the patronage of Vadym Stolar.
Free prosthetics for 1,000 Ukrainians: how to apply
Applications are currently open for free prosthetics and recovery for Ukrainians who have lost lower limbs. The Iceland Supports Mobility in Ukraine project is funded by a grant from the Government of Iceland and Embla Medical HF.
Who is eligible?
Free prosthetic care is available to Ukrainians — both military and civilians — who have lost lower limbs as a result of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine (since February 24, 2022).
Full details are available on the project website. The program includes both primary prosthetics and secondary care (socket replacement).
If your case meets the criteria, you can submit an application via the website or by email at [email protected].
After re-prosthetics, Ivan completed a specialized gait optimization program in which patients learn to use their prosthesis effectively in daily life. Just two months later, he achieved his goal — competing internationally and winning four gold medals for Ukraine. Sometimes the path from dream to action can be very short when supported by consistent daily effort.
Another veteran who brought home an impressive 8 medals for Ukraine at the Marine Corps & Air Force Trials 2026 is Oleksii Dernov. His results include gold and silver medals in running (100–800 m and 1500 m), cycling, and pistol shooting.
Sport has always played an important role in Oleksii’s life. Even after severe combat injuries and 24 surgeries, he continued to dream of running a 10 km distance and returning to medieval combat — one of his passions.
Oleksii Dernov is from Znamianka, Kirovohrad region. He volunteered to join the 37th Separate Marine Brigade. During his first combat mission in the Donetsk region, he sustained a mine-blast injury that resulted in the loss of his right arm.
“I had injuries everywhere: my arm was gone, my legs were damaged, my stomach was cut, and there was shrapnel in my liver. I was on IV drips 24/7, constantly in pain. I essentially had to learn how to walk again,” Oleksii recalls.
After treatment and recovery, he underwent free upper-limb prosthetics and adaptation at the Medical Center Orthotics & Prosthetics in Maryland, USA, through the Future for Ukraine program. He gradually returned to sports, resumed buhurt (a team medieval combat sport in armor with blunt weapons), and trained in weightlifting.
Later, he took part in the Go to the Future charity run, organized annually by the foundation for veterans with limb loss, and completed his first distance run after injury. For him, it marked a return to an active life.
Today, Oleksii keeps running, practices archery, and plays adaptive volleyball. In December, he won gold and silver medals at the national “HART” competitions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces in laser run and swimming — achievements that brought him to the international tournaments.
