Usyk Returns to Ukraine and Visits "Ohmatdyt"

Former undisputed heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) returned to Ukraine for the first time after his victory over Briton Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs).

Usyk visited the children's hospital "Ohmatdyt" in Kyiv, which was damaged in a Russian terrorist attack on July 8. Earlier, Oleksandr's charitable foundation donated 1 million hryvnias for the restoration of the facility.

"The world needs to see the grief and massive destruction inflicted on our country by Russia. But the world also needs to see the cohesion and unity of the Ukrainian people, which is awe-inspiring. More than 300 people were injured at 'Ohmatdyt'. I wish everyone a speedy recovery. Thank you to everyone who helps," said Usyk.

The WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO champion also visited a building in Irpin that was destroyed by Russian troops. He and the fundraising platform UNITED24 raised 12 million hryvnias for its reconstruction, with Usyk contributing 8 million himself.

The building housed a gym where boxing coach Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi worked. After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dzhunkivskyi stayed in Irpin and helped people. He was killed by Russian soldiers.

Oleksandr mentioned that he bought equipment for the gym to ensure the coach's legacy is not forgotten.

"I decided to buy all the necessary sports equipment so that children could train in comfortable conditions. Even though Oleksiy is no longer with us, boxing will continue in the gym he founded. Children will keep training, and maybe one of them will become a new world champion," said Usyk.

On the morning of July 8, Russian troops launched another massive missile attack on Ukraine, targeting cities including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk. As a result of the terrorist act, 47 people were killed and about 190 were injured. Residential buildings and infrastructure in Kyiv were damaged, including the largest children's hospital in Europe, "Ohmatdyt." At the time of the missile strike, there were 627 children in the medical facility.

Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. On February 24, 2022, the occupying forces crossed Ukraine's sovereign borders along the entire shared border, including through the Republic of Belarus. Since then, tens of thousands of civilians have fallen victim to Russia's unprovoked aggression.