Invictus Victory: veterans from all over Ukraine participated in inclusive competitions in Horodenka in Ivano-Frankivsk region 1 April 2025

On March 23, the inclusive competitions "Team Cup of Ukraine among veteran strongmen - Zvytiazha Nescorenykh" took place in Horodenka, Ivano-Frankivsk region. About 100 strongmen took part in them - these are military and veterans from different regions of Ukraine. The participants competed in rowing on the "Concept-2" simulator for 100 meters and 100 seconds, as well as in a strongman relay race, in which the participants had to throw the weight over the bar, perform a bench press and a deadlift.

The chief judge of the competition was the world champion in strongman Vasyl Virastyuk. This day showed that our defenders remain an example to follow not only on the battlefield, but also in sports competitions.

 Serhiy Konyushok, President of the Strongman Federation of Ukraine: 

For three years now, our Federation has been holding competitions for veterans as part of a structured tournament calendar. This year, 15 competitions are planned, 12 of which are rating and qualifying for participation in the international veterans' tournament Strong Spirit's Games. The final of the national selection will take place in Bukovel in September, when a team of 60 veterans will be formed to represent Ukraine at prestigious international competitions. We are grateful to our strategic and long-term partners - MHP, together with whom we have planned five events during this season, the first of which is today's competition in Horodenka.

The sports event was held by the Western Hub of MHP together with the NGO "Strongman Federation of Ukraine" and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs as part of the support program for military and veterans "MHP Poruch". The news agency "Galka" acted as an information partner of the event.

Ivan Bota, Director of the "Perspektyv" branch of the Western Hub of MHP group of companies:

The "MHP Poruch" program is aimed at the company's employees and residents of the communities where MHP's enterprises are present.  Providing comprehensive support to our military, veterans and their families is our sincere duty. Among the participants of the competition were also employees of our enterprises who returned from the war. We were with them during the war and continue to support them now by helping with physical and psychological rehabilitation, adapting workplaces or creating new ones if necessary. In general, there are currently more than 2,600 military employees of MHP at the front, and more than 750 veterans work at the enterprises.

The "MHP Poruch" program, within the framework of which the event was held, has been operating in MHP for more than two years. Its goal is comprehensive support for military personnel, veterans and their families. The focus of this program is now on promoting the development of veteran communities. 

Vasyl Yemchuk, Regional Manager for Social Projects of the MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation:

For 10 years, the MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation, together with MHP, has been restoring and developing Ukrainian communities, including in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. We implement infrastructure, medical, educational and cultural projects together with international and Ukrainian donors. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, we have been supporting people in the frontline territories, military personnel, veterans and their families within the framework of the "MHP Poruch" program. Currently, we are actively supporting sports initiatives, in particular FC "Probyi", developing veteran spaces, creating adaptive sports clubs, and holding large-scale events that inspire and unite. "Zvytiazha Nescorenykh" is a vivid example of such an event. It is not just a competition, it is a symbol of strength of spirit, invincibility and faith in oneself.

Veteran Andriy Vitruk, who lives in Yampil, Khmelnytsky region, and works at the Yampil elevator of MHP, participated in "Zvytiazha Nescorenykh" for the first time. The man went to defend Ukraine in 2022, as part of the "Khortytsia" battalion, he participated in hostilities in the Donetsk region - in Pisky, Pervomaiske. 

Last year I was at the "Zvytiazha Nescorenykh" veterans' competitions in Ternopil as a spectator, and I was impressed by the atmosphere of the tournament. So we gathered three teams at the elevator and came to Horodenka to compete. We participated in rowing on a simulator for 100 meters. The team result is 60.3 seconds, which is an average result, which we are satisfied with, considering that we are newcomers to this sport. And the main thing is that we got a lot of impressions from the event, communication with other veterans, and the attention of the audience

The winners of the veteran invastrong tournament were the "Impossible is Nothing" team from Rivne. In the "military" category among men, the team of the Main Department of the National Police in the Ivano-Frankivsk region won, and among women - the trio of the Department of Special Police "Lyut".

In the team rowing for 100 meters among veteran men, as in invastrong, the team from Rivne "Impossible is Nothing" triumphed, and among women - "Neskoreni" from Kryvyi Rih. Among the military, the fastest in rowing were the guys from the training center of the National Guard of Ukraine in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and among the military women, the "Lyut" team made a golden double.

At the awarding ceremony, the strongmen who took prize-winning places in their sports received medals and gifts. Also, gift sets from MHP were received by all participants of the competition.

During "Zvytiazha Nescorenykh" a charity fundraising was held to support the 77th separate battalion of the 102nd separate brigade of the Territorial Defense named after Dmytro Vitovsky. Fans made their contributions, exchanging donations for goulash, which was cooked on fire, and goodies from MHP brands. Currently, the collection is continuing among employees of MHP enterprises until the end of the week, the organizers will announce the results later.