During the evacuation of his wounded comrades, the winner of the World Cup in pankration, Mahomed Ganiev, was killed.
He was born on March 3, 1990, in the city of Dolynska, Kirovohrad region. He graduated from school in the village of Malovodiane and entered the Odesa Law Academy to obtain a higher education. Mahomed was well known in the sports community because he was engaged in pankration, an ancient Greek martial art. He won regional, national and international competitions. In 2017, he won the World Cup in Budapest.
On January 27, 2021, he became the head of the Chechen diaspora in Kryvyi Rih. But over a year later, a full-scale Russian invasion began, forcing him to take up arms. On the second day of the offensive, February 25, 2022, Mahomed Ganiev voluntarily joined the army. He served in the 69th Battalion of the 10th Separate Rifle Brigade. During a battle near Mariinka, Donetsk region, he was wounded, but after rehabilitation he returned to the front line. He continued to defend Ukraine from the occupiers, but as the chief sergeant in the 117th separate mechanized brigade. He took part in the battles near Robotyne and Verbove, Zaporizhzhia region.
For his service and defense of Ukraine from the enemy, on July 4, 2023, he was awarded the honorary badge of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Best Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. But less than three months later, sad news came from the front line. On September 26, 2023, during the evacuation of wounded comrades in the Zaporizhzhia region, Mahomed Ganiev was killed. His beloved wife and daughters were waiting for him at home…
In February 2024, the city of Dolynska hosted an all-Ukrainian pankration tournament in memory of the soldier Mahomed Ganiev. Athletes from different regions of Ukraine came to the competition, including Mahomed’s brother Sultan Ganiev, who won the 77 kg weight category.