War and Climbing: A Story from Ukraine – Beyond the Wounds of War

In Kyiv, climbing helps war veterans with amputations, vision loss, PTSD and other war injuries to rebuild their lives.. Freelance photojournalist and climber Wilson Vieira accompanied veterans, coaches, and foundations there. His three-part report shows how a space for self-determination emerges from rubble and power outages, and how the wall becomes a new beginning.

The winter of 2026 marks the fifth year since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Daily airstrikes on energy infrastructure and civilian facilities make life unpredictable and dangerous. Adding to this constant threat is the harshest winter in a decade, with temperatures often plummeting below -22°C. Despite these trials—or perhaps because of them—the climbing community in Kyiv has risen above the darkness and the ice to create a space for self-expression, support, self-determination, and resistance in a country at war. This is the story of how Ukraine's climbing culture, like a candle, helps keep the darkest night at bay.

This three-part report is the result of numerous conversations and interviews with members of the climbing community in Kyiv (professional and amateur climbers, war veterans, and climbing gym staff). Despite the war and the challenges they face daily, they treated me with kindness, patience, and a willingness to share their stories and their climbing spots. I am deeply grateful to them.

Part 1 – Beyond the Wounds of War

The story of a thousand soldiers

I'd been climbing for a few hours when I met Yurii. Between conversations and bouldering, I was waiting for the war veterans to arrive for their bi-weekly climbing session and wondered why I was feeling so succumbing to gravity that day. Yurii is a tall and lean 24-year-old war veteran originally from the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine, an area currently partially occupied by the Russian invasion force. "When I'm on the wall, my whole body is completely focused. I have a goal to reach, and I stop thinking about the fact that I don't have legs. However, my arms bear most of the weight, and I also have to visually control my feet because I can't feel the wall." "I have to make sure the prosthetic foot is positioned correctly, which takes more time and effort." Despite these challenges, I watch him confidently ascend the climbing wall, his gaze shifting back and forth between the footholds where he will place his prosthesis and the handholds, like a seasoned climber, and gravity seems to weigh less heavily on him.

At the start of the large-scale invasion of Russia in 2022, Yurii joined the Azov Special Forces in Kyiv. Later that year, he served in the 3rd Assault Company of the 1st Assault Battalion, part of the prestigious 3rd Assault Brigade, known for its intense frontline combat. During this time, Yurii was deployed to the Luhansk and Kharkiv regions and participated in the fighting during the Bakhmut Offensive, considered by some analysts to be the bloodiest battle since World War II. In the spring of 2023, he sustained severe injuries on the front lines at Bakhmut and had to be evacuated. However, his injuries and the lengthy rehabilitation process did not prevent him from returning. In the summer of 2024, he was wounded again while repelling an enemy attack—this time so severely that both legs had to be amputated.

Yurii's story is similar to that of thousands of other Ukrainian soldiers wounded in the ongoing war. They paid with their mental and physical health to defend their country's freedom and independence, and are now returning to civilian life from the horrors of the front through lengthy rehabilitation and reintegration processes. "One day, my friends suggested I try climbing and test my skills," Yurii tells me. "At first, I wasn't very interested because I lacked confidence. But over time, I decided to give it a try." In recent years, climbing has played an unexpected role in helping Ukrainian war veterans cope with the new realities of life and the wounds of war—a movement that began when Russia launched its offensives against Ukraine.

Kind angels and favorable winds

Commander Olena Tolkachova joined the Azov Regiment (now the 3rd Army Corps) in 2014 and founded the Angels Support Service, a unique medical and volunteer unit (the first of its kind) that supports wounded soldiers and the families of the fallen. “At the beginning of the war in 2014, I saw many wounded veterans returning home,” she says, “and I thought about how I could help them. That’s why I created the support service.” Since 2022, Angels has been a registered non-profit foundation and helps provide treatment, prosthetics, burials, and family support for the fighters of the Azov Brigade and other units. Among the measures taken to support war veterans is rock climbing. “Sport is very good for physical and mental rehabilitation. Climbing is like a game and more fun than traditional physiotherapy,” Olena tells me with that smile that only those with a mission at heart have.

I watch as Yehor Trapeznikov, a volunteer with the Angels and a climber himself, ascends a sport climbing route using only one hand on his auto-belay device. Noticing my fascinated expression, he explains, “I’m testing which routes can be climbed this way. There are soldiers who have lost their legs, but also some who are missing an arm. We try to make climbing as inclusive as possible.” He is a student at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, a freelance video director and sound engineer, and also trains veterans and service members of the 3rd Army Corps. A friend from the same brigade introduced him to the Angels Patronage Service, and he decided to join. That’s when he had the idea of ​​using climbing. “Climbing helps you cope with many things because it forces you to focus on a task. This helps with managing anxiety, depression, and PTSD, or simply increases dopamine levels,” he explains. "The feedback from the veterans is that it boosts their confidence and gives them the feeling, for the first time since their injuries, that they can fully utilize their physical potential again. When I hear that, I am grateful and inspired."

In addition to his many responsibilities, Yehor also dedicates his time to developing multimodal assistive control devices that help veterans with quadruple amputations operate electronic devices. Still in self-defense mode, he explains his future plans to me: to begin 3D printing prosthetics and make them more affordable for both war veterans and civilians. I, too, was inspired by his commitment and that of the "Angels," and their actions have likely contributed to the emergence of other organizations supporting war veterans in recent years.

Alina Bieliakova is a graphic designer, route setter, and trainer at the SPACE climbing gym. She also works with the Second Wind Foundation, another organization that restores the mental and physical health of war veterans through disability sports, an active lifestyle, and community support. I ask her about the challenges of training veterans and running a climbing gym during wartime. “I love climbing, and I love sharing that passion with others. Climbing gives the mind a break from everyday problems. We’re often tired and cold because of the air raids and lack of energy. But then we train even harder to keep warm.”

^{Above: Coach Alina Bieliakova regularly works with war veterans at the SPACE sports hall. Below: Andrey (35) lost his left leg in the war – but not his love of sport. | Images: Wilson Vieira}

Behind this tenacity, however, lies a gentle soul. I observe one of her training sessions with two veterans injured on the front lines: Andrey, 35, who lost a leg, and Jenya, 23, who is visually impaired. With patience, care, and encouragement, she guides them both through a variety of routes, each one increasingly difficult. Andrey, who also plays soccer, confides his challenges to me: "I like to test my body and see what it's capable of. But I don't like small footholds and I have trouble with footwork," he says with a mischievous smile, glancing at his prosthetic leg. The same determination is evident in Jenya, who loves the extreme and once did 1.500 burpees to test his body. Now he climbs sport routes with the same confidence and enthusiasm for the challenge. "After our training sessions together, I see the fire in their eyes," says Alina, "some of them have improved dramatically in a short time." My wish is that we train some veterans and that they can soon participate in para-climbing competitions."

^{Above: Jenya (23) was blinded on the front lines. Today he climbs sport climbing routes under Alina's guidance. Below: Jenya and Andrey during a training session together. | Photos: Wilson Vieira}

"The courage to do things I would rather avoid."

Among the many veterans I've met who have made climbing the foundation of their new lives, Yurii stands out in my memory—the first time I saw him climb and the impact this sport has had on his life. "From the very first contact—the moment my foot touched the wall—I knew I could do it. I believed in myself and gained confidence. Nothing has ever given me as much inner joy as topping a boulder. My goal is achieved." For Yurii and many other soldiers who returned wounded from the front, climbing is a means of self-determination, of overcoming the wounds of war and starting a new life. "The skills I developed through training at the climbing gym gave me the courage to do things I would have otherwise avoided. Climbing has given me back my self-confidence, and that has a powerful impact on my daily life."

About the author: Wilson Vieira

Wilson Vieira is a freelance photojournalist, author, and mountaineer based in Leipzig, Germany. His work focuses on long-term documentary reporting at the intersection of climate change, indigenous ways of life, and the relationship between humans and the environment. His current long-term projects span the Congo Basin, Ukraine, and mountain regions in Africa and Europe.

His works can be found at: wilson-vieira.com | @wilsonvieiraphoto

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Credits cover photo: Wilson Vieira