A powerful initiative is unfolding in Uzhhorod, already transforming the lives of local veterans. World champion, athlete of the Combat Self-Defense ISO Association, and war veteran Vladyslav Hornod, who lost his leg while demining in the Kharkiv region, has created adaptive, free training sessions for defenders with severe injuries and amputations.
These sessions are more than just sports.
They are a place where veterans regain strength, support, and faith in themselves — where combat injuries are not a sentence but a starting point for a new life.
Every week, soldiers who suffered serious frontline injuries gather here. Adaptive combat coach Oleksandr Slav develops every set of exercises individually — tailored to each veteran’s abilities and condition. The program includes elements of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and adaptive wrestling. A rehabilitation specialist is present at every session to ensure maximum safety.
But the most impressive element is Vladyslav’s own example.
A police explosives technician who stepped on an anti-personnel mine in 2022, he not only recovered — he returned to high-level sports and has now been a world champion in martial arts and Combat Self-Defense ISO for two years in a row. Recently, he brought home gold from Great Britain, where he was the only athlete with a prosthesis among 1,600 participants — and defeated able-bodied opponents.
“I always compete against regular athletes. And I win.
For them, it’s a bigger challenge than it is for me,” Vladyslav says.
The warriors who attend the training admit that they heal not only their bodies here, but also their spirits.
New friends, support, community, and confidence — these are the things they miss most after war.
Veterans Volodymyr Puchinin, Roman Synyshyn, Eduard Zaletskyi, and others say that sports give them back the feeling of life, movement, and strength. Even with prosthetics and severe injuries, they compete, play football, train, and refuse to give up.
A veteran with an amputation and a world champion in “Combat Self-Defense ISO” is launching a unique free training program in Uzhhorod that is helping fellow soldiers return to full lives.
“Life doesn’t end after an injury.
It can become even better. What matters is having a goal and moving toward it.”
The Combat Self-Defense ISO athlete plans to expand the project and create similar spaces for fellow veterans in other cities across Zakarpattia — so that even more defenders can return to active life and new victories, both on the tatami and in everyday life.
