Oleksandr Budko - Know Your Own

Before the war he made coffee in a Kyiv café; a year after losing both legs he won a medal at the Invictus Games. Oleksandr “Teren” Budko is a veteran of the Carpathian Sich battalion, the author of The Story of a Stubborn Man and a voice for veterans with disabilities.

A barista who went to the front

Oleksandr Budko comes from Rivne. Before the full-scale war he studied graphic design, took his first freelance jobs and worked as a barista in a Kyiv café. On 24 February 2022 he went to the enlistment office. At first he was assigned to the IT troops, but he wanted to go to the front and volunteered for the 49th Separate Rifle Battalion Carpathian Sich. There Oleksandr, known by the call sign “Teren”, became a platoon commander.

New legs in three months

Oleksandr was badly wounded in August 2022, in the fighting in the Kharkiv region, and lost both legs. He went through rehabilitation and got his prostheses in the United States. About three months after he was wounded, he was standing on prosthetic legs. Later he began visiting wounded soldiers in hospital, cheering them up and advising them on how to choose a prosthesis or get help from the state.

Medals in the pool

At the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf in September 2023, Oleksandr won bronze in the 50-metre freestyle. He also competed for Ukraine at the 2025 Games in Vancouver and Whistler. In January 2026 the President awarded him the Order For Merit, 3rd class, as a silver and bronze medallist in swimming at the Invictus Games.

The fight goes on

Oleksandr Budko works to make Ukraine barrier-free and more inclusive, starting social projects that help veterans and people with disabilities adapt. Through his example and his work he is changing how society sees veterans and fighting for equal opportunities and comfortable conditions for everyone.

Why it matters today

Oleksandr shows everyone who has come back from the war wounded, and everyone else, that a wound doesn’t cancel sport, creative work or ordinary life. He gives the wounded what they need most at the start: a living example and advice from someone who has been down the same road. “Inclusivity is not about pity,” he says, “it is about equal rights and comfort for everyone.” Anyone making their street or school easier to get around carries on his work.