26 March in Valencia, before the match Ukraine – Sweden on the field players, children of Ukrainian Defenders honored with state awards were brought out. Each name – a separate story of service, heroism, and struggle for the country.

«I brought Illia Zabarko onto the field before the match and we sang Ukraine's anthem together. At that moment, I felt pride», Dmytro Melashenko, 11 years old

• Father of Dmytro – captain of ZSU – continues to serve. Distincted with exceptional bravery during battles in Donets, where he personally participated in storming actions and commanded the defense of strategic positions. Hero of Ukraine with the award «Golden Star» (2024).

«I really liked these emotions – excitement, fear, but also joy. I brought Vladyslav Vanat onto the field and managed to shake hands with Sudakov and Zubkov! It was an incredible experience», Oleksandr Litun, 9 years old

• Father of Oleksandr, Andriy Litun, a lieutenant colonel of ZSU, died in March 2022 while restraining the enemy's advance and ensuring his detachment's withdrawal. Hero of Ukraine with the award «Golden Star» (2022, posthumously).

«I brought Anatoliy Trubin onto the field. I was scared at first. Only when I went back to the changing room did I relax. I felt pride standing next to him», Artem Kolyada, 11 years old

• Father of Artem, Mykhailo Kolyada, died on February 13, 2024 during battles in Luhansk Oblast. His name is included in the «Book of Memory of Fallen for Ukraine». Awarded the Order of «For Valor» III degree (posthumously).

Photo: Dan Balashov

Valencia gifted the children a bunch of new impressions: visiting an open training session with the national team, aquarium visit, city tour. And most importantly – the atmosphere of a great international match, which cannot be replicated anywhere else. Genuine emotions from stepping out onto the field of a 20,000-seat stadium with the national team, which the children will remember forever.

This was made possible thanks to a joint initiative by the Ukrainian Football Association, Central Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate of the General Staff of ZSU, and the Ukrainian Red Cross.

«The Ukrainian Football Association uses international matches as a platform to draw attention to the war in Ukraine. Despite the limitations set by UEFA and FIFA regulations, UFA engages available formats of interaction. In particular, during home matches, a larger portion of the escort quota for players is allocated to children who have suffered from the war. This allows them to join the match experience on the field with the players and become part of the event at the stadium», Olena Balbek, director of strategic development and stability for UFA, CEO of the UFA Foundation.

«Supporting families of our military personnel is not a one-time event but a targeted and consistent work by the Central Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate of the General Staff of ZSU. In particular, this initiative was realized within the framework of the all-Ukrainian social project «My Country – My Team», aimed at uniting the sports community, society, and military around supporting children of Defenders and Defenderesses of Ukraine. At the same time, such initiatives, implemented together with partners, help remind the world of the price of freedom for Ukraine», Colonel Oleksandr Kutkov, head of the Central Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

«We hope that these children and their families feel the care, attention, and support from society. Such initiatives help gift children important moments of joy while also expressing gratitude to those who gave the most – their lives for our country», Maksym Dytsenko, general director of the Ukrainian Red Cross.