Rivne veteran featured in Sarah Jessica Parker documentary shares inspiring message to Ukrainian children

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Oleksandr Budko, also known by his call sign "Teren," a veteran from Rivne and the subject of a documentary by Sarah Jessica Parker, has created a motivational video message for children in Ukraine. In the video, he encourages them never to give up and keep moving forward, even facing challenges.

Rubryka writes about it.

In his video message, the veteran shared how the whole stadium rose to their feet as Ukrainian athletes performed at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, highlighting the unbeatable spirit of the Ukrainian people.

"Once, I was a barista; I would never have believed I would participate in international competitions or dance ballet. But I set a goal for myself and danced for the first time at the California Theater. I want you to believe you can and will do anything," Oleksandr stressed.

Then, he demonstrated part of his ballet performance.

 

It should be noted that the video was shot for the #BraveKidsUkraine campaign of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Eastern Europe Foundation. The campaign aims to provide psychological support to schoolchildren and preschoolers, particularly during air raids.

It should be noted that the film Front Row with Oleksandr Budko, produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, should be released in 2024. It is dedicated to the ballet dancers in exile who created the United Ukrainian Ballet troupe despite the pain of war and losses.

One of the top artists ran into Oleksandr while receiving prosthetic treatment in the USA and asked him to be a part of their show. Despite not having any dance experience, the idea of collaborating on a project emerged.

Teren, who lost both legs during the war in the Kharkiv region, embodies the strong spirit and determination of the Ukrainian people in Parker's recording.

^{Oleksandr Budko, Teren}

It has been reported that the 27-year-old defender had to learn how to walk, drive a car, and play sports again using prostheses. Despite the severe injury, Teren did not let it stop him:

• He was fond of dancing,
• wrote an autobiographical novel, "The Story of a Stubborn Man",
• he even participated and won medals in the Invictus Games for the first time.

^{Oleksandr Budko, Teren}

For reference:

In the Sumy region, doctors have treated wounded Ukrainian defenders and civilians since the first days of the full-scale war by the Russian invaders.

Rubryka also wrote about Oleksandr Horokhivskyi, a native of the Chernihiv region. In March, during the encirclement of Chernihiv, he was injured because of an accident: a bullet pierced the bone of his left leg, tore out a large part of the muscles, and hit a nerve and an artery.

Oleksandr became one of the first to go to Estonia for rehabilitation with the support of the BGV charity fund. The fund was looking for more complex cases — amputation of the lower limb above the knee, double amputation. Read more about how the military man underwent rehabilitation and did not lose his spirit due to his disability; read more in our material: "Oleksandr Horokhivskyi: mastering a new leg and returning to work and travels."