‘Relief from everyday life’: How soccer is helping Ukrainian soldiers who have lost limbs in the war against Russia

Breathing heavily, Oleksandr Malchevsky puts on his prosthesis and hurries home to his wife and son. The 39-year-old has just lost a soccer game, but he isn’t too upset. For him, the sport is more than just a game – it’s about helping his rehabilitation as he adjusts to civilian life.

Malchevsky is a Ukrainian soldier who lost part of his leg fighting in Eastern Ukraine. He voluntarily joined the army when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and served as a gunner. Last year in the Kharkiv region, he came under mortar fire and was seriously injured. The doctors saved his left leg but had to amputate part of his right limb.

After a year of painful rehabilitation, Malchevsky returned to Kyiv – his native city – and joined the soccer team with other soldiers who had lost limbs fighting for Ukraine.