The story of professional handball player Artem Ivanov, who joined the defense of the Motherland
Athlete Artem Ivanov protects public order and ensures security in his native Transcarpathia as part of a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.
A few years ago, Artem lived, studied and played for a sports club in Romania. He was professionally involved in handball. Arriving on vacation in his native Transcarpathian village of Solotvino, he received a summons and entered the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine for military service.
“I studied in Romania, got a bachelor's degree in Psychology and decided to visit loved ones on vacation. I came home, and there I was waiting for a summons to the military enlistment office. I decided that I had to fulfill this duty to the Motherland and went to serve. I decided to try what it's like to be a military man,” says Artem.
Currently, the man has signed a contract with the National Guard of Ukraine, and performs tasks for the protection of public order and important state facilities in Transcarpathia, and during rest, after the service, continues training with the local handball club “Carpathians”.
“Every day my brothers and I go out to protect public order, together with the police or on independent patrols. There are tasks to protect various important facilities or diplomatic institutions. Together with representatives of other security agencies, we regularly carry out anti-terrorist activities,” says the national guard.
According to Artem Ivanov, sport helps a lot in the service. They say that in order to play handball at a high level, you need to have high speed, endurance and strong hands. Absolutely all these qualities are also necessary in the service.
“The skills to throw the ball strongly and accurately are very useful when throwing grenades, for example. 50-60 meters is a normal distance for me. Well, I think there is no need to explain much about the ability to run fast,” he adds.
National Guard of Ukraine
