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Ukraine Confirms Over 590 Athletes and Coaches Killed Amid Russian Aggression

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Amira_barkhush
Amira Barkhush
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Ukraine Confirms Over 590 Athletes and Coaches Killed Amid Russian Aggression
A football stadium in Kharkiv was destroyed by a Russian artillery shelling. This stadium was built for the EURO 2012, co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, particularly for the players’ training sessions on June 26, 2024. (Source: Konstantyn & Vlada Liberov)

As of March 2025, 591 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been confirmed killed by Russia, 22 are in captivity, and 11 are missing.

This was reported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X on April 7.

“As of March 2025, 591 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia, 22 are held in captivity, and 11 are missing. 725 sports facilities have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks, including 17 Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic training bases,” the Ministry wrote.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 out of 15 Russian athletes who competed under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympics in Paris either publicly supported the war or were affiliated with the military.

“Russian sport is not separate from the state – it is one of the tools used to justify and promote aggression. Those who say sport should be outside politics must also acknowledge that Russia uses sport as a political weapon,” the statement read.

One day after Russian professional ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin became NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, more than two dozen organizations came together to sign a joint letter urging the league to reject any future on-ice matchups with Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

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