OLEKSANDR PIELIESHENKO

Oleksandr Pielieshenko was a Champion of Ukraine and a two-time Champion of Europe in weightlifting, who represented Ukraine at the 2016 Olympics.

Oleksandr was born in the Luhansk region and was forced to leave his home when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. After the relocation, he devoted his life to sports, trained hard, and finally became a weightlifting Champion. In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Oleksandr joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend the country and prevent the occupiers from taking his home again.

Oleksandr dreamed of returning to big sports and raising the flag of Ukraine again at international competitions, but he was killed during a combat mission at the age of 30.

Photos were provided by Oleksandr’s family.

The Athletes

Boxing

MAKSYM HALINICHEV

Fencing

FEDIR IEPIFANOV

Cycling

ANASTASIIA HONCHAROVA

Football

MYKOLA ZHYDKOV

Swimming

NIKITA ZASIADKO

Donate to demine Ukraine

Contribute to the fundraiser by the Come Back Alive Foundation and Ukraine.ua, the official pages of Ukraine. Our goal is to raise UAH 900,000 ($22,800). These funds will help purchase 30 Ukrainian-made metal detectors for the sappers working at the frontline.

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