With homeland Under Attack, Ukrainian Olympian Sergiy Fesenko Trying to Make a Difference From Afar

Ukrainian Olympian Sergiy Fesenko Trying to Make a Difference From Afar

Sergiy Fesenko is a long way physically from Ukraine, but his thoughts rarely stray from a homeland under attack.

A three-time Olympian in the pool, Fesenko calls the greater Cincinnati area home these days, residing in Indiana. He’s made a life in America, a father of three who attended Indiana University.

All of that meant that when Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine in February, Fesenko was needed here.

“My wife would not let me go,” he said. “… A lot of people depend on me.”

Even from a distance, Fesenko, 39, is working to help his countrymen, in ways big and small. Through a network of Ukrainian athletes, which includes his former wife and fellow Olympian Kate Zubkova, they’re raising money to amplify those efforts.

Photo Courtesy: Sergiy Fesenko

Fesenko spoke to Swimming World last week ahead of a planned trip to Poland. Through the “Cincinnati 4 Ukraine” group, Fesenko and others have raised funds to rent buses in Germany and send them to Poland to aid with humanitarian evacuations. Fesenko has also raised money to procure thermal drones to aid in search-and-rescue operations, attempting to find people buried in the rubble of the country’s besieged areas. Funds raised are going toward first-aid supplies, bulletproof vests and other basics like clothing.

Fesenko and Zubkova have led the way in fundraising, and they’ve made a few thousand dollars go a long way in dire times.

“It’s very hard to see what’s happening,” Fesenko said. “I have a hard time working. I have a hard time thinking of something else. I barely make myself find time to play with my kids because they need it, but all my thoughts are there in Ukraine with the people.”

In a time of crisis, Fesenko and his peers in the swimming community are doing what they can. Fesenko has been in regular contact with swimmers still in Ukraine, among them Oleg Lisogor, a member of the territorial defense forces. Open-water swimmer Igor Chervynskiy, a three-time Olympian and two-time World Championships medalist who is still active at age 40, remains in Kharkiv, where he’s helped relay information on the ground.

“He’s in Kharkiv and he’s been sitting in his house, just telling me what’s going on, showing me all these pictures,” Fesenko said. “Just believing in our victory, and he doesn’t want to move out. He feels that he has to be there for his people.”

Fesenko hails from one of the most decorated families in Ukrainian swimming history. His father, Sergey Fesenko Sr., was the 1980 Olympic champion in the 200 butterfly and the silver medalist in the 400 individual medley for the Soviet Union. Part of his winnings was an apartment in Kyiv where Sergiy was raised, the family relocating from its rural origins in Kryvyi Rih. (Sergiy Fesenko said his extended family in Kyiv is safe for now, with Russian advances beaten back in that sector.)

Photo Courtesy:

Fesenko Sr. is an age-group coach at Bolles Swimming. While a variety of countries, including Hungary and Italy, have stepped up to house junior and elite swimmers fleeing Ukraine, Fesenko Sr. has tapped his global network of contacts to try to secure longer-term training accommodations for displaced swimmers.

Sergiy Fesenko once served in the air defense forces of Ukraine, from 1999-2002, part of the country’s compulsory service. The stint was mostly a chance to compete on the army’s behalf in the pool, with no active duty. “I’m not much of an army man,” he admitted.

So using his connections to help behind the scenes is the way that he’s able to feel like he’s making the biggest impact for his compatriots.

“When I see the places where I’ve been, where I’ve taken people for a date or someplace where I used to swim, like the swimming pool in Kharkiv that was bombed, it gives me a very, very bad feeling inside,” Fesenko said. “But most of all, the bad feeling comes when you see and realize what these people did to some of the people in my country. It’s really, really hard to even comprehend what some of the people have to go through there.”

To donate to support Ukrainians, visit the website for Cincinnati 4 Ukraine. You can also donate directly to their efforts at Kate’s Venmo account, username @Kate-Zubkova

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Sergiy Fesenko

1 year ago

Thanks for great article, Matt. All this this is true. I am writing this comment from Krakow, Poland airport. After delivering lots of supplies to Ukraine Lviv, I am coming back to US. Next trip is planned for Beginning if may.