In March 2026, an enemy drone struck the yard of the Tseletskyi family’s home in the Kharkiv region. The impact was so powerful that most of the house was destroyed. The family miraculously survived, but Andrii was trapped beneath the rubble. He injured his knee, and for a while had to put training and competitions on hold.

For Andrii, this became an especially difficult ordeal. Karate is not just his passion. He started practising the sport at the age of four, trained tirelessly, became the Ukrainian champion, and ranked first nationally in his category. Important tournaments lay ahead, the results of which would determine the composition of Ukraine’s national team.

Because of his injury, Andrii missed several competitions and lost his chance to join the national team. But even after that, he decided not to give up the sport. He returned to training fairly quickly. Step by step, he regained his form and worked on his techniques once again. Because his greatest dream remained unchanged: to become a world champion!

The Tseletskyi family shared their testimony with the Museum of Civilian Voices founded by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. Olena is convinced: such stories must be preserved so that the world knows the truth about the war in Ukraine, about what Ukrainian children are forced to endure, and about the strength with which they continue to live and pursue their dreams.