Prince Harry has made an unannounced trip to Kyiv, accepting an invitation from the Ukrainian government to highlight the ongoing war's toll and announce new initiatives to aid wounded soldiers. The Duke of Sussex, accompanied by a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, said he wanted to do 'everything possible' to support the recovery of thousands of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year conflict with Russia.
Speaking on an overnight train to the capital, Harry noted that the war has left an estimated 130,000 people with permanent disabilities. The Ukrainian government has placed rehabilitation through sport at the centre of its veteran policy. 'We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,' he said, adding that he hoped the visit would remind people of the human cost of the war, as 'it’s easy to become desensitised'.
The prince was initially invited by Olga Rudnieva, founder of the Superhumans Trauma Centre in Lviv, which treats amputees. He visited the centre in April and met Rudnieva again by chance in New York, where she urged him to come to Kyiv. After checking with his wife and the British government, he accepted an official invitation. 'This is the first time we will see the real destruction of the war,' he said.
Ukraine first participated in the Invictus Games in 2017, but involvement has surged since the war began. Harry recalled the reception of Ukraine's team at the 2022 Games in The Hague, noting that unlike other competitors, Ukrainian participants often returned to the battlefield. During his visit, Harry is due to tour the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War and meet 200 veterans, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The Invictus Games Foundation has expanded its sports recovery programmes beyond the biennial event, including providing sports equipment in Ukraine. Natalia Kalmykova, Ukraine's minister for veterans affairs, said sport had become 'a key function in veterans’ healthcare', thanks to the foundation's support. By March, over 22,000 veterans had accessed benefits such as gym memberships and pool passes.
