UAH 1.9 million raised for drones: Recruit’s Honor Race held in Kyiv
On June 29, the “Race of Honor named after Recruit” took place at VDNH in Kyiv – a charitable event that brought together 2,700 participants from all over Ukraine and the world. The race is named after military journalist, Major of the Military Reserve, Oleksiy “Recruit” Chubashev.
This year, the event took place for the fourth time. The event is organized by Run Ukraine together with Oleksiy’s wife, Yulia Chubasheva , and every year it brings together more and more people for whom the words “honor”, “memory” and “strength” are not just slogans.
Yulia Chubasheva, wife of Alexei “Recruit” Chubashev:
“You and I are now not just witnesses, but also creators of modern Ukrainian culture. A culture of memory. Memory today is not something solemn, it is not rituals that we set aside one day a year to perform. Memory today is about actions, it is about moving forward. It is about continuing the life of those values that were laid down by a person who can no longer carry them to the masses, cannot be their ambassador.”
Thanks to the starting contributions of the participants, this year we managed to collect 1,944,860 UAH , 628 thousand UAH more than last year. The funds will be used to purchase fiber-optic drones for the International Legion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces . Such drones are especially valuable on the front: they cannot be silenced by electronic warfare, and therefore they can easily fly into buildings and dugouts, because they do not depend on the radio horizon.
Traditionally, the race began with a symbolic start of those who forever remained in the front line – the hero runners who died in the fight for Ukraine’s independence. Their front line will forever be behind them at all Run Ukraine starts.
The race was joined by military personnel from various branches of the military, cadets, and veterans.
A soldier with the call sign “Gulliver”, head of the qualification course for the SSO:
“I covered 10 km – it wasn’t easy. But I did it, and you can too. Oleksiy was the first journalist to show the Q-course from the inside. His stories inspired thousands of people to take up arms. It is important to remember such people and support those who are currently defending the country.”
The participation of military veterans from the Next Step rehabilitation center was special: two of them covered the 10 km distance, and the others took part in the traditional 100-meter race. The boys’ race was accompanied by applause.
Seven units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the SSO Recruiting , the Separate Presidential Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, organized thematic zones to familiarize children and civilians with their activities.
As for the sports part, the winners of the 10 km distance were Vitaliy Tsoma, who celebrates his birthday today, and Maryna Shapovalova. And the first to finish in the 5 km distance were: Dmytro Ivanov and Kateryna Bashuk.
The next Run Ukraine event is scheduled for October 11–12 : the PrivatBank Kyiv Marathon of Indestructibility 2025 will be held in Kyiv, on the territory of Trukhanov Island.
