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From Battlefield to Football Pitch: Ukrainian War Amputees Launch Inspiring New Team
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A new football club named Nezlamni has been founded in Kharkiv for Ukrainian war veterans and civilians with limb amputations, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Kharkiv reported on April 1.
The team plays amputee football — a version of the sport where players use crutches or prosthetics. According to club founder Volodymyr Lyakh, the players didn’t even know each other at the first training session. But by the second, they were already asking about tournaments.
“They came not just to train,” Lyakh said. “They want to play for the team and compete in tournaments.”
Among the team members is Oleksandr Lubskiy, a veteran of the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade who lost a leg in a mortar strike during combat near Staromaiorske in 2023. After a year of rehab and months of inactivity, Lubskiy said he began gaining weight and struggling mentally.
“That’s when my sister told me, ‘Enough! Move here and let’s figure something out.’ She’s my support,” he said. “You can shut down emotionally, but what’s the point? You’ve got to move, talk to people. This is really important.”
Suspilne Kharkiv reported that Lubskiy met the coach of Unbreakable by chance in the Kharkiv subway. That same coach, Oleksandr Tebenko — a former platoon commander in the National Guard who lost both legs after his vehicle ran over an anti-tank mine — now trains the team.
“Football is more than life to me,” said Tebenko. “Even if I can’t compete — the rules don’t allow double amputees — I’m here to coach, to help the guys grow.”
The team also gained a major boost when former Metalist Kharkiv goalkeeper Oleksandr Horyainov joined as a coach. The players immediately asked him to take the goalkeeping position.
“It’s a tough time for these guys and their families,” said Horyainov. “Football can be a kind of spiritual release. I’ll help however I can.”
According to Suspilne Kharkiv, the club began training in March and currently holds light sessions focused on movement and technique. Most players are active-duty veterans. Lyakh said interest in joining is growing quickly, and the team has been invited to attend spring amputee football events as guests, with plans to compete officially in the future.
“I’ll do everything I can to build the kind of atmosphere where our players make it to the Ukrainian national team and represent not just Kharkiv, but the entire country,” Lyakh said.
The team trains under the umbrella of “Liga Duzhykh” (League of the Strong), a project by the Ukrainian Football Association that promotes amputee football nationwide. Currently, 12 centers are active across Ukraine, and by the end of the year, a national championship is planned.
To join the Unbreakable team, interested players can reach out to Volodymyr Lyakh via phone at +380 96 862 8592 or through the Facebook page.
Earlier, On January 11–12, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) organized the country’s first-ever amputee football tournament for amateur teams, titled the “Winter Cup of the League of the Mighty.”
The League of the Mighty is a social initiative by the UAF aimed at helping individuals with amputations or limb impairments return to an active lifestyle and find inspiration through sports.
