After his injury near Kreminna, he decided that sport is the best rehabilitation: the story of the National Guardsman Serhiy Kiyashko
On December 13 and 14, competitions for selection to the National Team of Ukraine for the United States Air Force Trials were held in Kyiv.
The United States Air Force Trials 2024 is a domestic competition for veterans and U.S. military personnel who have been injured, injured, or ill during military service. The United States Air Force competition will be held from March 4 to 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
The competition involved servicemen who suffered injuries, injuries or illnesses during or as a result of duty in a combat zone, from 2014 to the present day. Among the participants are the military systems of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in particular the National Guard Serhiy Kiyashko.
Serhiy Kiyashko served under contract in the National Guard of Ukraine since 2013. He is intimately familiar with the war, having been in the ATO zone, but admits that he did not expect a full-scale invasion.
In 2021, the man quit the National Guard and decided to devote his time to his family, however, it was not for long. At the time of the invasion, Sergei and his family were in the Zaporizhzhya region, so almost from the first days they were occupied by the Russians. The goal was one - to survive and get out of there to the territory controlled by Ukraine.
“On March 16, 2022, there was an opportunity to leave, the occupiers let the column into the gray area and immediately began shelling the hail. In one of the cars was my 3-year-old son and wife, who were injured, but fortunately survived,” Sergey recalls.
In April, Sergey was able to leave the Russian occupation, because then the invaders had already begun to search for former servicemen from the ATO zone. In order to be close to his relatives, the man had to go through about ten enemy checkpoints. He mentions that the Russians checked his phone in detail, looked for tattoos and inspected the car.
Soon the Kiyashko family was together again and found themselves in their native Kharkiv. Sergey immediately went to the National Guard of Ukraine to join the defense forces and fight back against the Russian invaders. At first he received a refusal, saying that there were enough fighters, but after 6 Russian missiles hit the playground in Kharkov and 9 people were killed, Sergey did not hesitate to mobilize.
At first he was trained, and later he was already in air reconnaissance in the Balakliya direction and was involved in the liberation from the Russian invasion of the settlements of the region. In particular, the National Guard of Ukraine took part in the assault actions and de-occupation of Balakliya and Izyum.
Then Sergey and his brothers visited the Serebryansk Forestry in Luhansk region, repelling the attacks of the Russians, and near Kreminna, where he was injured. The soldier refuses to talk about her, but shares that his rehabilitation and recovery are now underway.
He also adds that his most desired dream is to see his son and wife to whom he has to go to Germany these days. The little one is now 5 years old, and he still reacts sharply to loud sounds after the tragic evacuation.
The last two weeks Serhiy Kiyashko has been athletic and active, because he participated in competitions for selection to the National Team of Ukraine United States Air Force Trials.
“Sport is the cheapest way to rehabilitate after an injury. There are soldiers who, after receiving a wound, lower their hands, and there are those who, having lost limbs, think that they are no longer the same as others. Such a psychological state can be saved only by sport, I believe,” Serhiy Kiyashko assures.
The National Guardsman won two fourth places on the rowing simulator, but promises to return next year and get into the top three.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
