Prince Harry unexpectedly arrives in Kyiv: thousands of wounded soldiers will receive support
12 September 2025 10:14
British Prince Harry arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit following an invitation from the Ukrainian government. The Duke of Sussex said that he wants to do “everything possible” to help restore thousands of soldiers who were seriously injured during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by The Guardian, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Together with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, he plans to introduce new initiatives to support the rehabilitation of veterans throughout Ukraine. According to estimates made earlier this year, the war has already left about 130,000 people with disabilities, and now the government is betting on rehabilitation through sports as a key element of assistance.
“We can’t stop the war, but we can help the recovery”
In an interview with The Guardian during his overnight train ride from Poland to Kyiv, Prince Harry said:
“We can’t stop the war, but we can do everything we can to help the recovery process. We must continue to humanize the people involved in this war and what they are going through. I hope that this trip will help remind the world of the tragedy of Ukraine, because it is easy to lose sensitivity to what is happening.”
An invitation from Ukraine
He was invited to Kyiv by Olha Rudneva, founder and director of the Superhumans War Trauma Center in Lviv, which treats and rehabilitates amputees. Harry visited the center in April and later met Rudneva by chance in New York.
“She said: “You will have the greatest impact if you come to Kyiv.” I had to coordinate this with my wife and the British government. Then I received an official invitation,” the prince said.
Invictus Games and Ukraine
Ukraine has been participating in the Invictus Games since 2017, but with the outbreak of a full-scale war, the need for and interest in the competition has increased significantly. Harry recalled the performance of the Ukrainian team at the Games in The Hague two years ago:
“It was incredible. Each participant had their own difficult story, but only the Ukrainians returned to war after the competition. It impressed the whole world and meant a lot to us.”
The program of the visit
During his stay in Kyiv, Prince Harry plans to
- visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War;
- meet with 200 veterans invited to the event;
- hold talks with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.
In addition, his foundation plans to expand sports rehabilitation programs in Ukraine, providing veterans with equipment and training opportunities.
Rehabilitation through sports
Natalia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, emphasized that sport has become “a key element in the rehabilitation of veterans.”
“Thanks to our cooperation with the Invictus Games Foundation, we are developing the role of sports in rehabilitation in Ukraine, and that is why sports is integrated into the strategy of helping veterans,” she said.
According to official data, as of March this year, more than 22,000 veterans in Ukraine have already taken advantage of opportunities such as gym memberships and swimming pools.
Prince Harry and Ukraine: meetings and visits after 2022
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Prince Harry has repeatedly expressed support for Ukrainians, including the military and veterans, through his Invictus Games Foundation. He has met with Ukrainian defenders at international events, including the Invictus Games in The Hague (2022) and Dusseldorf (2023), where the Ukrainian team participated despite the war.
The Duke of Sussex has also met with representatives of Ukrainian veterans’ organizations abroad on numerous occasions to discuss support for the rehabilitation and integration of soldiers after their injuries.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle supported Ukraine financially. Their Archwell Foundation has transferred an amount that remains secret to charitable organizations supporting Ukraine.
It should be noted that Prince Harry visited Ukraine in April 2025, which was his first visit to the country. He visited the Superhumans Center orthopedic clinic in Lviv.
During that visit, Superhumans CEO Olha Rudneva presented him with the organization’s bracelet as a symbolic gift. Prince Harry continues to wear it: he recently appeared with this accessory at the WellChild Awards in London.
In the spring, the Duke of Sussex emphasized that he had the best impressions of his visit to Ukraine. He promised that he would return to continue supporting the Ukrainian military and affected civilians.
It is worth noting that the King of Britain, then Prince of Wales, visited Ukraine in September 1996 at the invitation of President Leonid Kuchma. Among other things, he visited St. Sophia Cathedral, the Memorial of Eternal Glory, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where he was pleasantly surprised by English-speaking students and congratulatory posters, and then went to Sevastopol, where he visited the Memorial to the British killed in the Crimean War
