At the age of 24, Russian invaders claimed the life of Ukrainian soldier and athlete Ilya Kobchenko.
Born on October 7, 1999, in Sumy, Ilya was passionate about sports from a young age. He was a master of sports in sumo and universal combat, and a candidate for master of sports in freestyle wrestling. He frequently won and placed in various pankration, grappling, MMA, and hand-to-hand combat competitions.
From 2017 to 2019, he studied at the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Ilya signed a contract and initially served in Western Ukraine before being deployed to Donetsk region.
On May 8, 2023, during a combat mission near Bakhmut, Ilya Kobchenko’s unit came under mortar fire from the enemy. One of the shells exploded near the 23-year-old soldier, inflicting fatal injuries…
In August 2023, an open city championship in beach wrestling was held in Sumy in memory of fallen Ukrainian heroes, including Ilya Kobchenko.