On August 30, a social swim took place in Bukovel, which the organizers describe as a manifesto rather than a competition. In the water were 17 veterans of the Armed Forces and other state structures, most of them people with amputations, predominantly of the first disability group. The event format was unconventional: participants did not simply cover the distance but dragged boats behind them, in which ten teenagers with complex developmental disabilities were seated. The swim was organized by public figure Alexander Teren, a representative of the “Memoria Kod” NGO and the “M13” project.
A Manifesto Format Instead of a Race
According to Teren, the key idea of the event is to show that for veterans this is not a matter of victories and awards, but of equal opportunities. “The slogan of this event is ‘Not for medals — for barrier-free access.’ We wanted to show that for us, veterans, it does not matter that this is some kind of competition. What we need is barrier-free access,” the organizer explained. Thus, the swim became a public statement that environmental accessibility matters more than sporting results.
Who Entered the Water
Among the participants were representatives of various units: the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 125th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 35th Separate Marine Brigade, the 47th Separate Intelligence Brigade, the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, as well as the 3rd Directorate of the National Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Teren emphasized that the swim involved people with different types of disabilities, including fairly extensive amputations. “Society always assumes that these are people with limited capabilities. But today these people showed that absolutely no limitations exist, at least for them,” he noted. The event brought together veterans, civilians, and children with complex developmental disabilities.
A Call for Barrier-Free Water Bodies
The organizer placed particular emphasis on the fact that barrier-free access should not end at the walls of a pool or at the number of preferential spots at sporting events. “We wanted to give these children at least the opportunity to spend time on an open water body and to be together with us. We want to come to a beach, if it is an open water body, and have the ability to enter the water without prosthetics, in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of such water bodies in Ukraine,” Teren said. The goal, according to him, is to draw attention to the fact that not only the urban environment but also natural locations should be barrier-free.
Continuation on the Dnipro
Following the successful swim in Bukovel, Alexander Teren announced a new, larger-scale event. It is planned to be held on the Dnipro in Kyiv with the participation of about a hundred veterans. This is meant to be a continuation and expansion of the format started in Bukovel.
Context: From Restriction to Their Own Format
It is worth noting that Teren’s initiative grew out of a preceding scandal: earlier, veterans with amputations were restricted from participating in a swim, after which the organizer announced the holding of his own event. According to Ukrainian media reports, it was precisely this episode that prompted the creation of an alternative format in which people with disabilities act not as objects of care but as active participants and organizers.
