Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Defender of Law and Order" Oleksandr Andriienko
I am Oleksandr Andriienko, a Ukrainian citizen, born in 1992 in Avdiivka. After graduating from the National Academy of Internal Affairs, from 2016 to 2020, I worked as an investigator for the Avdiivka Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Donetsk region. During my service at the Avdiivka Police Department, I participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO), and I have had the status of a combatant since 2018.
At the time of Russia's full-scale invasion, I was serving in the Territorial Department of the Judicial Protection Service in the Donetsk region. This unit is also part of Ukraine's security and defense forces. I served in my native Avdiivka and later in Pokrovsk.
In February 2023, I successfully passed the competitive selection and was recommended for the position of inspector in the "Liut" ("Fury") Assault Battalion within the Special Purpose Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine. It was with this unit that on July 25, 2023, during a combat mission involving offensive assault actions in the Bakhmut district, I sustained a serious injury from a grenade dropped by an enemy drone into a temporary shelter on the battlefield. The injury resulted in the amputation of my right lower limb at the level of the lower third of the thigh, and my left lower limb was also seriously damaged.
Since then, and for the next year and a half, I underwent long-term treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. My wife, daughter, mother, friends, and fellow soldiers were always by my side.
In May 2024, I participated in the all-Ukrainian adaptive sports competition "Invictus Games," which involved about 330 veterans from various parts of the country. During those competitions, the Ukrainian National Team was selected for the international "Invictus Games" event, and I was one of the 35 participants chosen.
For the next six months, the team prepared, and several training camps were held. The "Invictus Games 2025" took place in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada, from February 8 to 16, 2025. At that event, the Ukrainian team ranked 3rd in the overall medal count among 25 teams from around the world, surpassed only by the USA and Australia.
I personally competed in the following adaptive sports: sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, indoor rowing, skeleton, and biathlon. I won three awards: two bronze medals in biathlon and sitting volleyball, and a silver medal in indoor rowing.
Adaptive sports and the support of my loved ones have had the biggest impact on my physical and psycho-emotional recovery. I have definitely become more resilient than I was before my injury. Of course, I plan to continue with adaptive sports, but my priority now is serving to protect Ukraine's territorial integrity.
As of today, I continue to serve in the Special Purpose Police Department "Liut" ("Fury") Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine, and what's more, I am performing tasks in my native Donetsk region. It is very important for me to be an example of rehabilitation and recovery for the guys who are currently undergoing treatment. With any injury, you can and should continue to live an active and joyful life.