Yana Stepanenko, who lost both her legs in a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk railway station, has just returned from Tokyo, where she ran a 5 km marathon on prostheses to raise funds for special sports prostheses for the 36-year-old soldier of the Azov Special Forces Brigade. Upon returning to Ukraine, the girl was the first to be met and greeted by border guards.
This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Yana ran one of the world’s largest races of the World Marathon Majors series in an hour. For Yana, the Tokyo Marathon was not only a test of strength, but also a mission – she is raising funds for special sports prostheses for Oleksandr Zhavnenko, a 36-year-old soldier of the Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard. The defender has the same double amputation as Yana. So the girl wants to help Oleksandr return to active life.
Border guards of the 7th Carpathian border guard detachment were the first to meet and greet the 13-year-old Ukrainian at home.
“Today we welcome Yana home and thank her for proving once again that Ukrainians are an unbreakable nation. Heroes are not only at the front. They are among us and Yana is one of them. This little girl turned pain into strength. She glorifies Ukraine on the world stage and helps the military to return to life and find the strength to live on. We thank her for that,” said border guard Oleksandr Palamarchuk.