‘I Took a Risk,’ Says Prince Harry as He Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine

The Duke of Sussex made his fourth visit to war-torn Ukraine since Russia's invasion, attending trials for the country's Invictus Games team and a war trauma conference alongside medical experts from around the world.

PRINCE Harry made another surprise solo visit to Ukraine to attend the trials for the Ukrainian national team that will compete at next year’s Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.

The Duke of Sussex also travelled to the western city of Lviv, near the Polish border, to attend a war trauma conference, as he met wounded veterans and medics specialising in war injuries. He acknowledged that he had "taken a risk to come" as he made his fourth visit to the country on Saturday since Russia's invasion.

After arriving in the western city, Prince Harry gushed: "Every single time I come back to Ukraine, I feel welcome, I feel warmth." He took to the stage at the conference, which was organised by Superhumans, a clinic and recovery centre in the city that specialises in rehabilitation of those injured in the war. He was dressed casually in a dark hooded puffer jacket, dark blue trousers and brown desert boots as he spoke to medics from around the world.

Since the war, Lviv has become a hub for medical treatment and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, many of whom have required prosthetic limbs. At the conference, the Duke listened attentively, hands clasped, as Ukrainian and international medics described evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Attendees included the Ukrainian Health Minister, Viktor Liashko.

In his own speech, he remarked, "You're going to win the war, and then you're going to be set up for success," as he praised the progress in medicine and society. The prince's first visit to Ukraine came in April 2025, when he toured the Superhumans clinic.

Later in a school sports hall, he changed into a jacket with the Invictus Games logo as he watched the wheelchair rugby players zooming around. Athletes vied for a place in Ukraine's team at the forthcoming Invictus Games to be held in Birmingham, England. Founded by the Prince, the games are an international sporting event specifically for veterans and serving military.

Ukraine plans to send its largest-ever team to Birmingham, made up of 60 athletes. The country has around 1.4 million combat veterans, over 10 per cent of whom have disabilities, amid the ongoing war with Russia, which has caused a surge of those in the country losing limbs.

Prince Harry vowed to hold a special Invictus Games in the country after the war ends. Speaking to wounded veterans who sought to join the movement, he declared: "When the war is over and when Ukraine wins, we will be ready to support you in holding an Invictus Games".

He spotted a player he recognised, Valery Odainyk, 41, who competed in the 2025 edition in Canada with an amputated leg. After sharing a hug, he told an extremely surprised Prince that he was "still an active serviceman".

Harry asked back: "So when do you find time to train?" Odainyk told the prince that his involvement in such sport "all started and continues with the Invictus Games".

Another player, Roman Boyko, 29, gave Harry a black T-shirt with the slogan "Free Azov", which referred to hundreds of Ukrainian fighters who have been held as prisoners in Russia. He said: "I gave him the T-shirt in memory of the prisoners, as a reminder that the fighters are still imprisoned and they must be freed."

On Saturday evening, Harry met more wounded veterans new to adaptive sport. He spoke about a sense of comradeship as he sat on the stage of a dimly lit theatre. "With this Invictus community, you know you belong here. So welcome to our family," he declared.

Reassuring the newcomers, he told them: "When you join, you may be a little bit nervous, unsure ...[but] you realise that every single person around you in this room has something in common with you".

A former soldier in the British Army himself, Harry has previously spoken of how he was profoundly moved as he witnessed death and life-changing injuries while on deployment in Afghanistan.

In Lviv, he commented: "The people who have served, the people that are serving and the people who serve the veteran community are the best of society."