On June 28, Kyiv will host the Recruit Honor Race 2026 – an event established to honor the memory of Oleksii Chubashev, a military journalist, Major of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR), widely known by his call sign Recruit.
Run Ukraine has organized this event in cooperation with Recruit’s wife, Yuliia Chubasheva. Today, this is no longer just a story about one hero, but about everyone who continues fighting.
The slogan of the run is “The Honor to be, to run, to remember”. It is about the honor of being a member of the military, the honor of running alongside the military, and the honor of remembering those who gave their lives for the freedom of Ukraine.
The Joint Stock Company “National Nuclear Energy Generating Company “Energoatom” serves as the ideological partner of the event. This partnership aims to honor the dignity and bravery of fallen military and to support those who continue to defend our country every day. For Energoatom, participation in the race is an opportunity to pay tribute to colleagues, nuclear employees who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.
“For Energoatom, it is an honor to be a partner of the Recruit Honor Race 2026. This event is not about kilometers. It is about the people thanks to whom Ukraine holds on. It is about those who defend the state with weapon in their hands, and those who provide it with light and energy every day. Today, more than a thousand Energoatom employees are defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Defense Forces. We run for the memory of the fallen, to support the living people, and for the future that Ukrainian military are fighting for all of us. Our motto is simple: “Generating energy – strengthening the country,” emphasized Pavlo Kovtonyuk.
Dmytro Chernitskyi, a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war, CEO of Run Ukraine, commented, ‘For us, for Run Ukraine, the Recruit Honor Race is not just a sporting event. It is a way to speak about the people thanks to whom Ukraine continues to live, work, and fight. We are grateful to Energoatom for a partnership built based on common values – dignity, responsibility, and remembrance. Today, it is extremely important for society to unite around those who protect the country, and on the ground on the memory of those who gave their lives for our state.”
Yuliia Chubasheva, co-organizer of the race, wife of the fallen Oleksii Chubashev, also shared significant words, “For me personally, the Honor Race is much more than sports. It is about uniting completely different people and partners based on common, true values. It is about a new culture that has already became an important component of our society. Unfortunately, this culture is originated from the memory of those who are no longer with us. I would like to express gratitude and respect to every Energoatom employee who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to offer my condolences for every fallen one. I am thankful to the company for supporting this event, which is of deep meaning for me personally and for everyone from whom the war has taken loved ones.”
Symbolically, the partnership unites two vital forces of our country – the people who ensure Ukraine’s energy resilience, and those who defend it with weapons in their hands.
Join the Recruit Honor Race 2026 – let us run for remembrance, unity, and the Victory of Ukraine. Let us run to make the names of Heroes sound louder than the sirens, keeping their feat alive in the heart of the nation.
100% of the registration fees will be allocated to the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Registration is open on the website: https://recruitrun.runukraine.org/en/home-2/
