Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladislav Heraskevych faced disqualification from the Winter Olympics, marking the Games’ most significant controversy to date. His exclusion stemmed from his refusal to remove a helmet adorned with portraits of fellow Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The international federation barred him from the men’s skeleton event earlier this week, and his subsequent appeal was denied on Friday.
Heraskevych explained that the helmet features over twenty individuals, including teenage weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, many of whom were his friends. The following profiles detail some of the athletes commemorated on his helmet.
Volodymyr Androschuk – Track and Field Athlete
Volodymyr Androschuk, a track and field athlete specializing in decathlon and pentathlon, died in January 2023, shortly after his 22nd birthday. He was killed while serving in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine. Androschuk had previously competed at the international level and held aspirations of qualifying for the 2024 Paris or 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, by 2022, he decided to volunteer for the army due to injuries. Oleksiy Kasyanov, the general secretary of Ukraine’s track and field federation, described qualifying for the Olympics as As it was his dream.
Karyna Bakhur – Kickboxer
Karyna Bakhur, a national kickboxing champion, was killed last year during Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region. At 17, she had represented Ukraine in national and international competitions. She succumbed to shrapnel wounds while seeking shelter in the city of Berestyn, just weeks before her 18th birthday. Her coach, Volodymyr Zibarov, told Ukrainian newspaper Pravda that Bakhur possessed enormous potential. He noted that they were scheduled to depart for the World Cup in Austria that same day.
Karyna Diachenko – Rhythmic Gymnast
Eleven-year-old Karyna Diachenko, a promising young rhythmic gymnast, died in March 2022 in the southeastern city of Mariupol. She was at home with her family when a Russian air strike hit their building, resulting in her and her father’s immediate deaths. Her mother and brother were taken to a hospital that was subsequently hit by another air strike, killing them as well. This information is sourced from the memorial website Angels of Sport.
Maksym Halinichev – Boxer
Maksym Halinichev, a boxer, died in 2023 in the Luhansk region. According to Ukrainian news outlet Tribuna, he declined to participate in a 2022 European boxing championship to volunteer as a soldier. A coach told Voice of America that Halinichev felt compelled to fight after witnessing the war’s destruction. Another coach quoted him stating his desire for his child not to live under Russian occupation. Tribuna reported that Halinichev sustained injuries twice during the war but continued to fight until his death. He had previously won silver at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and the 2021 European U22 Championships.
Pavlo Ishchenko – Powerlifter
Pavlo Ishchenko, a native of Kyiv, was a four-time strongman champion and a former Ukrainian powerlifting champion. He also served as a mentor to young athletes. Ukrainian outlet Sport.ua noted following his passing that his legacy continues to inspire new generations of athletes who view him as a model of resilience, courage, and dedication. Ishchenko died last year on the front lines.
Viktoria Ivashko – Judo
Viktoria Ivashko, a nine-year-old judo enthusiast, was killed in June 2023 in Kyiv while seeking shelter from Russian air strikes with her mother. The president of the Ukrainian Judo Federation, Mykhailo Koshlyak, described Ivashko’s death as painful for the entire Ukrainian judo community.
Oleksiy Khabarov – Shooter
Oleksiy Khabarov, 31, was a significant figure in Ukrainian national shooting sports for over a decade, according to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). During his career, he achieved national champion status and set multiple national records. He joined the army in 2023 and died in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine last year. ISSF president Luciano Rossi stated that Khabarov was an elite athlete who paused his career to defend his country and would forever be remembered.
Ivan Kononenko – Actor and Athlete
Ivan Kononenko was both a competitive strongman and an actor who appeared in popular Ukrainian television programs. He went to the front lines in February 2022 and suffered a severe injury by November. Pravda reported that he developed his own rehabilitation program, which he shared online, before returning to combat as a senior lieutenant and rifle platoon commander. Contact was lost during a combat mission in February of last year, and he is now considered missing in action. A funeral was held for him in December.
Mykyta Kozubenko – Diver
Mykyta Kozubenko, a diver and coach from Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, died in combat last year at the age of 31. The Ukrainian Sports Committee announced his death, stating that Kozubenko took up arms to defend his homeland during the country’s most challenging period.
Daria Kurdel – Dancer
Daria Kurdel, a 20-year-old dancer, died in July 2022 in the central city of Kryvyi Rih during a Russian air attack. She was training with her father on a sports ground at the time. While her parents sustained injuries, they survived the incident. Kurdel had won several international dance competitions before her death.
Andriy Kutsenko – Cyclist
Andriy Kutsenko was a track cycling champion who represented Ukraine in international competitions from 2006 to 2016, including European and World Championships. The 34-year-old, who had been living in Italy with his family, returned to Ukraine shortly after the full-scale invasion to join the army. Regional officials confirmed he was killed in a combat mission in 2024.
Mariya Lebid – Dancer
Fifteen-year-old Mariya Lebid was a victim of a Russian missile strike in 2023 that targeted a high-rise building in Dnipro. She was a ballroom dancer and the president of her school’s student council. According to Angels of Sport, during her campaign for student council president, Lebid described herself as determined, friendly, and hardworking, with a passion for learning English and a hobby in houseplants, approaching life with humor and positivity.
Oleksiy Loginov – Ice Hockey Player
Oleksiy Loginov served as the former goalkeeper for the Ukrainian professional ice hockey team, Bilyi Bars. He died in the Luhansk region in 2023 at the age of 23.
Yevhen Malyshev – Biathlete
Yevhen Malyshev, a former biathlete who competed in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, died on the front lines in Kharkiv at the age of 19. He was posthumously awarded an Order For Courage in 2022.
Alina Peregudova – Weightlifter
Fourteen-year-old Alina Peregudova was killed in March 2022 during Russian shelling of Mariupol. Pravda reported that an explosion occurred shortly after she left her house with her mother. Her brother, who ran out after them, was reportedly shot by a Russian sniper. Peregudova was a candidate for the national Ukrainian weightlifting team and was preparing for a European Championship.
Roman Polishchuk – High Jumper
Roman Polishchuk was a track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. He joined Ukraine’s armed forces in the early days of the full-scale invasion and died in March 2023.
Dmytro Sarpar – Figure Skater
Dmytro Sarpar, a 25-year-old figure skater, died in 2023 on the front lines near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Originally from Kharkiv, he won a silver medal at the Ukrainian Championships in 2016 and participated in the Youth Winter Olympics in Norway the same year. After retiring from professional figure skating, he transitioned to performing in ice shows.
Taras Shpuk – Coach
Taras Shpuk joined the Ukrainian army as a volunteer in 2014. He later became involved in veteran sports and coached Ukraine in an Invictus Games. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, he rejoined the army and died in November 2023.
Kateryna Troyan – Track and Field Athlete
Kateryna Troyan, a former professional track and field athlete, died in June 2025 in the Pokrovsk area of eastern Ukraine, aged 32, after sustaining wounds during a combat mission. She was also a programmer and journalist who worked for an international IT company before volunteering for the army in 2024. Angels of Sport reported that she operated drones in over 1,000 combat missions.
Andriy Yaremenko – Wrestler
Andriy Yaremenko, a Greco-Roman wrestler and member of the Ukrainian national team, died a few days before his 26th birthday in December. Angels of Sport mentioned that he had aspired to become a coach and had pursued a master’s degree in physical culture and sports. He was killed during a combat mission. Friends and colleagues described him as possessing a keen sense of justice, inner balance, and a big heart.
Fedir Yepifanov – Fencer
Fedir Yepifanov, a national fencing champion in Ukraine, suspended his career to fight on the front lines. He enlisted in the army at 18, shortly after the full-scale invasion began, and died at the front in 2023.
Nazar Zui – Boxer and Footballer
Nazar Zui, 13, was passionate about boxing and football, playing the latter for a local team in Mariupol. He died in March 2022 when a Russian air strike hit a high-rise building where his family was sheltering, resulting in the deaths of his parents as well.