As his interpreter explained his injuries, Ivan Horulko – Ukrainian war veteran and captain of FC Shakhtar's newest team 'Shakhtar Stalevi' – dramatically interjected his English speaking colleague.
Inna Khmyzova, the Director of Shakhtar Social Foundation who was translating Horulko's emphatic words, stopped in her tracks to listen. "Ivan just corrected me," Khmyzova laughed, apologetically. "I said he received a really hard wound, but he just corrected me, to say it’s not really a hard wound. He can move forwards. He doesn’t consider it to be a hard wound."
Horulko lost his leg stepping on a land mine.
She also made it clear that Ivan, who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2014 and then volunteered himself for the Azov 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard on the day Russia invaded his homeland in 2022, will be going back into the forces.
“I was in military service before the full-scale invasion," Horulko said in an exclusive interview with Mirror Sport, when asked where he was on February 24, the terrible day Russia launched their military invasion of Ukraine. "On the second day [of the invasion] I was called and I was in my unit with the brigade who were the first guys to meet the Russian forces."
When asked about the day he lost his leg, Horulko said: “In our unit, we don’t leave our comrades on the battlefield if they are wounded or even if they are dead. After the battle, I had to go back to check how many had been killed on the battlefield.
“During this investigation, there was a mine and I stepped on it. I am fine. Everything is fine. I have Shakhtar Stalevi and I am getting ready to go back to my military unit. I want to continue serving and fighting for my country."
There is something incredible in the casual way Horulko describes his injuries. His piercing blue eyes connotes an expression which says, "What's the problem? It's the mere nibble of a fly".
In a day where footballers roll about on the ground and fall down under little pressure, Horulko's unyielding resilience and bullet proof mentality is an inspiration for us all. Horulko's story is one of many similar at Shakhtar Stalevi, a name created by the players of the team which translates to 'Made of Steel'.
The team is comprised of Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom have lost limbs and suffered injuries not dissimilar to Horulko. Shakhtar is the first side in the Ukrainian Premier League to establish a team of this nature. They are hoping they will not be the last.
Horulko is the captain and it is easy to see why. Bravery is a word often overused and applied to situations which are not remotely comparable to the world Horulko and his comrades have had to endure over the last two years. The soldier lost his leg in a mine-blast trauma when his troops were in Kreminna, an Eastern Ukrainian city in the Sievierodonetsk region, of Luhansk Oblast.
Kreminna has been a scene of heavy fighting, which has seen both Russian and Ukrainian forces claim control of the area. Yet, Horulko is intent on returning to the battlefield, despite his injuries.
As he prepares for his return to the army, Horulko sent a message to other Ukrainian comrades like him. “The spirit of the Shakhtar Stalevi is really strong and United," he added. "We will be striving for results and victories, of course, but our sport is right at the beginning of its development.
“I’m really grateful to Shakhtar because the club is the first Ukrainian football team to start an amputee football team. I emphasise that this is really important because I will be going back into military service.
“I want other guys from other military teams and veterans who come back into civilian life to come and be involved and support the team. This sport in Ukraine is just in the beginning, but the Ukrainian amputee football team has already taken part in the European Amputee Football Championship in France.
“One of our players at Shakhtar Stalevi played in the national team and won against Belgium, which was a huge result. We are competitive, results are important to us, but we are only playing friendly matches with other teams and regular football teams, just to get some experience."
To find out more about Shakhtar Stalevi and their players, follow the link here:
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