Hryhoriy Kozlovskyy and the Ruh Football Club have started working with Oleksandr Shovkovsky and the Ukrainian Sports Clinic to implement the Above All project. The project aims to help wounded and injured Ukrainian soldiers recover.
The Above All project was launched on the territory of the FC Ruh Academy and the Emily Complex in Vynnyky. The main goal of this initiative is medical treatment and rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. In addition to Ruh, the Ukrainian Sports Clinic and well-known athletes, including Oleksandr Shovkovsky, a legend of Ukrainian football, are also involved in this project.
Oleh Kasatka, founder and project manager of the Ukrainian Sports Clinic, said: “FC Ruh supported our initiative with great enthusiasm. Thanks to the resources of the club and the personal assistance of Hryhoriy Kozlovskyy, we can provide a high level of service and provide our defenders with the necessary assistance. We are currently cooperating with various charitable foundations, including the Movement to the Future Foundation, in terms of funding and logistics. The Emily’s compound and the Ruh Academy have all the necessary resources for the rehabilitation of the wounded. In addition, such prominent Ukrainian athletes as Yaroslava Maguchikh, Andriy Pyatov, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Stanislav Goruna and others have joined this charitable cause. The presence of such celebrities as Oleksandr Shovkovsky inspires the soldiers undergoing rehabilitation and provides them with great moral support.”
The Above All initiative was launched at the end of March 2022, and in April of the same year, it began its activities, providing care to the first patients.
Oleh Shpur, Executive Director of the Foundation for Aid to Ukraine ‘Movement to the Future’, said: “FC Ruh always supports initiatives aimed at helping the military. We have also joined the Above All project together with the Ukrainian Sports Clinic and Oleksandr Shovkovsky. Our goal is to provide accommodation and rehabilitation for more than a hundred wounded soldiers during the year. It is important to provide these heroes with everything they need as they are defending our country, and we must support them in this.”
So far, 54 Ukrainians have successfully completed the rehabilitation process, including 37 who were treated and recovered at the Ruh Academy.
Soldier Artem Shkreba, a mortar crew member of the 101st Brigade, shared his story: “I underwent four surgeries on my knee joint. At first, my condition was severe and my muscles were atrophied. However, the Ukrainian Sports Clinic project helped me a lot, as it provides an individualized approach for everyone. Working with specialists and comfortable conditions in the Emily’s complex and the Ruh Academy contribute to a quick recovery, and the results are noticeable. Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, as it is necessary to strengthen the muscles and improve joint mobility. The doctors always explain why certain procedures and exercises are necessary to achieve the best results and quickest recovery.”
The rehabilitation process for the military consists of several stages, including a consultation to determine the diagnosis and a subsequent individual rehabilitation plan. This process includes physiotherapy and training to restore the functions of injured limbs and other injured parts of the body.
Oleksandr Shovkovsky, a legend of Ukrainian football, added: “Throughout my 24-year professional career, I have undergone recovery from numerous injuries. Any surgery by surgeons is only 30-35% of the entire recovery process. The rest is proper rehabilitation under the guidance of specialists. Hryhoriy Kozlovskyy and Oleg Kasatka accepted our offer, and now we are working to help people affected by the war. Soldiers on the frontline suffer a lot of sports injuries because not all of them had the appropriate training for the stresses they faced. The military do many things instinctively, on adrenaline, but then feel the consequences of their activities. I’m talking about sports injuries, because the military suffer meniscus, ligaments, joints, bruises, etc. I’m not even talking about various wounds.”
The soldiers also note that the Above All initiative has helped them to undergo high-quality rehabilitation and recover from injuries and wounds thanks to professionals with the necessary equipment.
Krzysztof Mushak, a fighter with the Azov Regiment, said: “Very professional doctors work here, who understand their job perfectly and create an individual approach for everyone. I was going to go abroad, but decided that the conditions here are no worse, and maybe even better. There are all the necessary devices and simulators that I need for rehabilitation.”
