A young athlete whose life was taken by war. On July 2, 2025, in the village of Berezne in the Zhytomyr region, 16-year-old sambist Oleksii Petrenko was killed in a Russian missile strike.
Oleksii was a student of the Zhytomyr Children and Youth Sports School and had been practicing sambo since 2018. Despite his young age, he earned the title of Candidate for Master of Sports of Ukraine and repeatedly won prizes at regional and national competitions.
Motivated, persistent, calm, and remarkably disciplined—that’s how his coaches and teammates will remember him. He was considered one of the most promising athletes in his age group. Oleksii’s life was cut short while he was at home. The missile struck a residential neighborhood.
This is a tremendous loss for his family, for the sports community, and for the entire country. A boy who had the potential to become a champion will never again step onto the wrestling mat.
The National Sambo Federation of Ukraine, expressing condolences to his loved ones, noted with sorrow: “Oleksii will forever remain in our memory. He is now among our Angels of Sport, taken from us by this war.”
His name joins the hundreds of Ukrainian children and teenagers whose lives were stolen by Russia. This tragedy is yet another reminder of the price Ukraine pays every day in its fight against the aggressor.