Skeletonist Heraskevych spoke in the Verkhovna Rada — called for Serhiy Bubka to be stripped of the title of Hero of Ukraine

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from this yearʼs Olympic Games in Italy for intending to compete in a "memory helmet", came to a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on February 26.

This is evidenced by the broadcast of the parliamentary session.

Heraskevych brought with him the same helmet that depicts Ukrainian athletes who died as a result of Russian aggression.

"This is my first time speaking here, but I feel that I have already beaten some of your colleagues in terms of attendance at plenary sessions," Heraskevych noted regarding the low attendance of deputies at the session.

In his speech, he called for unity around Ukraine. He specifically raised the issue of stripping prominent Ukrainian athlete Serhiy Bubka of the title of Hero of Ukraine and imposing sanctions on him.

"A person is systematically destroying Ukraine, trading with the occupiers, and allowing Russian flags in the organization he heads. A person is truly playing along with Russia, and when he wears the title of Hero of Ukraine, which is now awarded posthumously, this is unacceptable. We must fight this, so I also call on you to help Mr. Bubka be deprived of this award by imposing sanctions on him," Heraskevych said.

• Ukrainian track and field athlete Serhiy Bubka, a multiple world pole vault champion, headed the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine from 2005 to 2022. He is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee — in 2024 he was re-elected to the position for another eight-year term.
• In July 2023, Bihus.Info journalists published an investigation into the Russian company Mont Blanc, owned by Serhiy Bubka and his brother Vasyl, operating in temporarily occupied territories and selling fuel to terrorists. Subsequently, SBU began to inspect the activities of Bubkaʼs family company, and in December 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky deprived Bubka of state scholarships.

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