KYIV: It’s a balmy summer afternoon as we drive up to a workshop fronted by an array of fancy motorbikes. As we step in, we are transported to the world of Ukrainian motorbike clubs — smell of grease and metal, scattered tools on workbenches, cigarettes and grim-reaper artworks on the wall. At the far end stands a tall man in a grey t-shirt with golden-brown locks and features of a supermodel.You would be forgiven to overlook his jetblack prosthetic leg.
Artyom Kuzmich went viral last month when he stood out among the chaotic scenes at the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv after it was hit by a Russian missile. “I got a call from my friend that the hospital had been hit. I immediately He went on to learn Brazilian jujitsu and became a national champion in his category. “Brazilian jujitsu is very adaptive for anyone with injuries or amputations. I went to Brazil to learn para-jujitsu and won competitions there. After I returned to Ukraine, and following the beginning of the fullscale war, I started my own para-jujitsu school here.” His outlook on the war is one of matter of fact.
“We are in war, we are defending our land and lives. But I do think that the war can be frozen this year. Not stopped of course, but frozen,” Artyom adds. Motorbikes are his other passion, exemplifying his zest for life. “Apart from para-jujitsu schools, I want to expand my motorbike club. My wife is pregnant and I just want to live life,” Artyom asserts in an indomitable Ukrainian fashion. went over to see what I could do to help.” The toxicology wing of the hospital had taken a direct hit. Artyom, like many others, rushed to the spot to clear debris and look for survivors. Selfless acts of courage come naturally to Artyom. He was part of the Ukrainian special forces and lost his leg due to a landmine during an operation in the Luhansk region. But that didn’t hold him back