“And now, guys, let’s do this exercise on the other leg,” said the head coach. A second later, dozens of men on the football pitch started laughing. Meet “Nezlamni”—Kharkiv’s first club to play amputee football. Almost all the players are veterans who lost their limbs on the battlefield.
Aug 05, 2025 13:08
Updated Aug 05, 2025 13:17
5 min read
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-03a7a427c8c09066a78e1ff0da88a8dd.jpg "Olena Blizniakova")
The first rule that we were told as soon as we got there—don’t talk to the players while they are training, so as not to distract them. This meant waiting on the sidelines for two hours while the team busied itself with only one thing—sport.
Training on crutches
The players left their prostheses on the edge of the field and got ready for a warm-up, doing a complex set of exercises. It’s not easy, but everyone is trying their best. Amputee football is different from the regular game, explains Volodymyr Liakh, director of the “Nezlamni ” football club.
“Nezlamni” is Kharkiv’s first club to play amputee football. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
Every training session starts with a warm-up—to prepare for the game. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
“As the guys play on crutches, the strain on varying muscle groups is completely different,” he says. “They have to adapt. Here, mostly one leg is working, while the arms are used much more.”
Volodymyr, also a veteran, recalled that while the team was founded in March 2025, the idea had emerged six months earlier.
Volodymyr Liakh, a war veteran, is the director of the “Nezlamni” football club. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
“At that time, five teams had been formed in Ukraine,” he explains. “I’m a veteran myself and play football with my brothers-in-arms. During awards presentations, our combat veterans always receive honors for defending the Homeland.” At one of those ceremonies, Volodymyr met a veteran, Oleksandr Tebenkov, who later became the coach of FC “Nezlamni.”
“When I saw him walking onto the field on two prostheses, that was the moment I realized it was time—because my fellow soldiers are returning,” says Volodymyr. “They are coming back with injuries, but they’re also passionate about football. We need to create a team so that they, just like us, can train together and take part in tournaments.”
Oleksandr Tebenkov is the coach of the “Nezlamni” football club. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
After the minefield came the football field
Since “Nezlamni’s” first training sessions began on March 23, the team has taken part in two championships. “We’ve already been to the Spring Cup in Kyiv, and the Summer one too. We brought silver home twice. Everyone’s happy. We’re all looking forward to the next games, and we are training hard,” says Oleksandr, one of the players. “Although I dreamt about football my whole childhood, I can laugh at the fact that now, at my older age, I found myself at a championship where Andrii Shevchenko is giving me his autograph.”
51 year-old Oleksandr was an artist before the full-scale invasion, he later joined the Territorial Defense Forces. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
The 51-year-old veteran was an artist before the full-scale invasion and later joined the Territorial Defense Forces in Kharkiv.
“The 127th Brigade, 227th Battalion,” says Oleksandr. “We took part in the liberation of Staryi Saltiv, Starytsia, Bakhmut; worked in the Sumy region.”
Then—he and his comrades were sent to the Zaporizhzhia direction.
“It was there, near Rivnopillia, that I stepped on a mine.” It was December 2023.
Oleksandr, who now plays at the “Nezlamni” football club, stepped on a mine in the Zaporizhzhia direction. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
Less than two years later, Oleksandr finds himself talking to UNITED24 Media after training is finished. He recalled that in the very beginning, he was sceptical about the sport. “But when I got to the stadium, I immediately started running around the field with the guys, and now I try to never miss a practice session.”
A safe place to laugh again
Volodymyr explains—everyone on this field understands why they want to play.
“We play for ourselves, we play for the guys who are coming back so they can see that sport exists today,” he says. “They don’t need to shut themselves off or stay at home, but they should come out onto the field with their brothers-in-arms. Here, they can talk about the events that happened to them, things they can’t share with civilians. Once they are in the team, they open up.”
The team is not only for war veterans, civilians also can join. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
The youngest player of the team is 16, the oldest—58. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
“Nezlamni’s” players have two training sessions per week. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
“Nezlamni” is Kharkiv’s first club to play amputee football. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
The team is open not only to war veterans. “Both civilians and soldiers can take part in the amputee football team,” says Volodymyr. “Men and women can join, regardless of age.” The youngest player—Artur—is 16. He lost his leg after a Russian attack on a schoolyard in Kharkiv. The oldest player is 58.
“Initially, when civilians come to the first couple of training sessions, they feel uncomfortable,” says Volodymyr. “But by the third session, they know where they are, they can joke around with the guys, and become part of the team. The atmosphere is just amazing.”
“Nezlamni” is Kharkiv’s first club to play amputee football. (Photo: UNITED24 Media)
With two training sessions per week, the players also stay in touch in everyday life through their own group chat. “Those who’ve been on the frontlines already have that instinct to joke inside them,” Oleksandr says. “They’re all cheerful, all funny. If you start feeling down, you’ll quickly lose your alertness. At the front, everyone tries to keep each other’s spirits up. It’s the same here—you walk into the locker room and hear laughter all the time.”
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