![Jiu-jitsu from Ukraine](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/11/AP23308772547191-620x413.jpg)
Ukrainian war veterans with amputated limbs perform during the Ukrainian National Jiu Jitsu Competition in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, October 29, 2023. More than 20,000 people in Ukraine have lost limbs to injuries since the start of the Russian war, many of them soldiers. Some of them have learned to cope with their psychological trauma by practicing a form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. (AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna)
Kiev, Ukraine – Nervous about their first jiu-jitsu championship, the war veterans gathered in a group to trade jokes and help each other fasten the straps of their kimonos. Many of them had suffered serious battlefield injuries, requiring amputations.
Now they were gathered to perform in the “para jiu jitsu” category at the Ukrainian national competition in front of hundreds of spectators on amphitheater-like benches in one of Kiev’s sports complexes.
More than 20,000 people in Ukraine have lost limbs due to injuries since the start of Russia’s brutal war there, many of them soldiers. A handful of them have dealt with their psychological trauma by practicing a form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“This gives us freedom. We don’t feel like we’re lacking anything,” said Artem Kuzmich, who started practicing jiu-jitsu after losing a leg on the battlefield in 2019.
Kuzmich is Belarusian and voluntarily joined the Ukrainian army from 2014 to fight Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. Now he mentors soldiers who have recently suffered similar injuries and finds salvation in jiu-jitsu.
Much of the martial art of jiu-jitsu involves movements and holds aimed at using an opponent’s own strength against him.
It’s a sport that can be easily adapted for people who have had amputations, without the need for prosthetics, Kuzmich said.
“We work with what we have and can achieve victories with what life has left us,” he said.
The tournament – last weekend – started with the Ukrainian national anthem, expressions of gratitude to the country’s defenders and a minute’s silence in memory of those who died on the battlefield.
Five of the six athletes competing in the ‘para jiu-jitsu’ category began their training at the TMS Hub, a safe space for veterans in Kiev that also provides psychological rehabilitation for veterans. Two months ago they opened their first jiu-jitsu training ground.
![Jiu-jitsu from Ukraine](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/11/AP23308772726087-620x413.jpg)
26-year-old Vasyl Oksyntiuk, Ukrainian war veteran prepares to participate in the Ukrainian national competition of jiu jitsu in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, October 29, 2023. More than 20,000 people in Ukraine have lost limbs due to injuries from the Russian war, including many soldiers. Some of them have learned to cope with their psychological trauma by practicing a form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. (AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna)
TMS Hub offers free jiu-jitsu training primarily to veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian War who have lost a limb in combat. The program aims to provide them with a community of people with a similar experience who can help them with their psychological rehabilitation.
“It is more comfortable for them to be among their peers,” explains Serhii Pohosyan, co-founder of TMS Hub.
Just two months after training, five veterans at the TMS Hub gym were ready for national competition.
One of them was 26-year-old Vasyl Oksyntiuk, who lost both his legs last December when a grenade hit his car near Bakhmut during heavy fighting for the city.
Before his match, he carefully removed both of his prostheses and left them outside the competition area. He was dressed in a kimono, with short hair and a black mustache. With a look of determination, he relied on both arms as he made his way to the center of the mat to meet his opponent.
“You feel very different; you forget that you are missing something,” Oksyntiuk said.
He volunteered to go to war in February when Russia invaded Ukraine. “It is written in the Constitution and in the heart to protect your loved ones, your family and your home. When the enemies came, something had to be done,” he said.
Nearly a year after his injury, he has learned to walk confidently on prosthetic limbs, but he is still looking for new ways to spend his free time.
“I always wanted to try martial arts, but I thought I was too old for it,” Oksyntiuk said. “Then I lost my legs, saw on the internet that there was an opportunity and decided to give it a try. I have really enjoyed it.”
At his first Ukrainian Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Oksyntiuk won a silver medal in the “para jiu-jitsu” category.
Pohosyan, co-founder of TMS Hub, said the gym has specially equipped bathrooms and other facilities to ensure the comfort of disabled veterans. He said about 20 veterans regularly attend the gym’s jiu-jitsu practices, and the program is looking to add more such gyms, including outside the capital. But that will depend on money because the project relies on donations, he said.
After the tournament medals were distributed, the former soldiers, overwhelmed with emotions, approached Pohosyan to convey their gratitude and say that the experience was exactly what they needed.
“This is the biggest reward for us,” Pohosyan said.