Dossier: Russian war veterans in Paralympic sport

Military service

• Went to fight against Ukraine in 2014. As Russian propagandists write, "he took the pain of Donbas as his own." Joined Battalion "Vostok" — a Russian proxy formation in eastern Ukraine.
• Served first as machine gunner, then as battalion deputy commander for armament.
• Wounded and lost both legs on April 12, 2015, in the village of Zhabunky, Donetsk region.
• Continued service as deputy battalion commander for personnel work after prosthetics. Discharged to reserve in 2017.

In their own words

"Russia did everything right and on time because if Ukrainian troops had entered the territory of Donetsk, the city would have been wiped out."

"In the near future, you will see, the world will change and we will be present in international competitions. Those guys who defended their homeland at the front will defend the honor of Russia at international competitions." (December 3, 2025)

Paralympic career

• After retiring, took up wheelchair fencing.
• 2024: Included in Russian Paralympic team after taking 2nd place at Russian Championship (confirmed by RPC president Rozhkov).
• Competes in 2025 Russian Championship for Omsk oblast team. On Russian Paralympic fencing team candidate list.

Military service

• Volunteered to fight against Ukraine in 2022.
• In April 2022, during the battle for Popasna (Luhansk region), lost his right arm.

In their own words

"I just could not imagine how one could stay away at such a time. I saw the reports from the front and rushed there to help the guys. This is not heroism; this is a simple desire to do something necessary, to contribute to the victory."

Paralympic career

• February 2026: Became Master of Sport of Russia and winner of the all-Russian Defenders of the Fatherland Cup in archery.
• 2025: Champion of Russia in archery for athletes with physical disabilities.
• Declared ambitions to participate in the Summer Paralympic Games.

Military service

• Served in the Russian army since 2020. His contract was ending at the start of the full-scale invasion, but he was called to his unit and sent for training, then deployed to Ukraine.
• Served in the 5th Guards Tank Brigade (military unit 46108). This brigade participated in the offensive on Kyiv region and its soldiers committed brutal war crimes against civilians in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel.
• Lost his right leg below the knee during the war. Does not publicly comment on circumstances.

In their own words

"I did not particularly consider any other choice. Work is work." (on being sent to war)

Paralympic career

• Began archery in 2023 through the Defenders of the Fatherland foundation.
• October 2025: CISM World Champion in archery (Tehran) — gold (individual), gold (mixed team), silver (team).
• February 2025: Awarded in the Kremlin Palace.
• Nominated in Russia for best athlete of 2025.

Military service

• Volunteered for the war against Ukraine and became a sapper.
• In April 2023, wounded near Avdiivka (Donetsk region) while performing a combat mission. Lost both legs.
• Awarded the 4th degree St. George Cross.
• Makes propaganda statements claiming he was wounded by a French-made mine.

In their own words

"As soon as the situation changes, I will be ready. I am ready to compete. Of course, under my flag, under the anthem, and to win these competitions. This is the goal: to get first place at the Paralympics." (January 2026, from documentary "Step Up")

Paralympic career

• Currently in kayaking, member of Krasnodar region team for athletes with physical disabilities.
• January 2026: Documentary made about him; states he is preparing for the Paralympics.

Military service

• Joined Russian army at 19 after graduating construction college. Served 10 years total.
• In February 2022, his battalion (based in Stavropol) was sent to Crimea, then as part of the occupation forces to Melitopol.
• Commanded convoys bringing ammunition to the front line.
• Lost both legs near Melitopol on March 18, 2022. The "Peacemaker" database confirms this date.

Paralympic career

• Three-time Moscow powerlifting champion.
• Member of Moscow Paralympic team.
• Speaker at "Paralympic lessons" for war participants.
• As of March 2025, trains at least 3 times per week preparing for the Paralympic Games.

Has a YouTube channel featuring edited photos from his military career set to Putin's announcement of the "special military operation."

Military service

• Before 2022, worked as a mechanical engineer at a soft drinks factory.
• Drafted in autumn 2022 to a motorized brigade in occupied Luhansk region, where he commanded a detachment.
• Wounded in autumn 2023 near Bakhmut. Leg amputated. Awarded the Zhukov medal.

In their own words

"Dreams of participating in the Paralympics."

Paralympic career

• Began competing in winter 2025.
• Won two bronze medals at the first stage of the Russian Para Snowboard Cup in late 2025.
• Currently in the reserve of the Russian national team and member of St. Petersburg para snowboard team.

Military service

• Served in Russian airborne troops since 2014. Member of the 31st Guards Airborne Assault Brigade.
• Information on Russian social networks indicates he participated in the battle for Hostomel airport (Kyiv region, February 2022).
• In May 2022, during fighting near Popasna (Luhansk region), had his leg torn off by a shell.
• After 6+ months of treatment, returned to serve in the airborne division in Ulyanovsk.

Paralympic career

• February 2025: Stated he dreams of going to the Paralympic Games as part of the Russian sitting volleyball team.

Military service

• Served in the 106th Guards Airborne Tula Division, which participated in the offensive on Kyiv region.
• Also served in the 104th Airborne Assault Division, currently deployed in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.
• Wounded in April 2022; lost his right leg.
• Currently serves at a regional military registration office.

Paralympic career

• One of the leading shooters in Russia in the para category.
• Russian Cup winner in bullseye shooting.
• Propagandists claim "his sniper talent began to be revealed in all its glory" in this sport.

Military service

• Commander of the 40th Engineer-Sapper Regiment of the 41st Army of the Central Military District.
• 20 years of military experience. Fought in Chechnya, Syria, Georgia, and Ukraine (from day one of full-scale invasion).
• Lost both legs during the crossing of the Desna River. Applied tourniquet himself and continued commanding the crossing.
• Hero of the Russian Federation — Gold Star pinned by Defense Minister Shoigu in hospital.

In their own words

His propaganda video has gathered millions of views on YouTube, featuring a story about a resident of an occupied village who allegedly approached Saifullin to say that "5 years before the full-scale invasion, their village was settled by Bandera followers who Ukrainized the village."

Paralympic career

• Currently Deputy Head of the Tyumen Higher Military Engineering Command School.
• Won the table tennis competition and silver in powerlifting at the interregional Defenders of the Fatherland Cup in 2023.
• Ambassador of the Russian Paralympic Committee's "We Are Together. Sport" project.

Military service

• Before 2014, lived in Luhansk and competed in Ukrainian youth fencing championships (in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv). Stayed in occupied Luhansk.
• In 2022, drafted into the so-called "Luhansk People's Army." Served as a grenade launcher.
• Suffered an injury that cost him his left foot and shin.

Paralympic career

• Returned to fencing after injury.
• March 2023: Included in the reserve roster of the Russian national Paralympic wheelchair fencing team.