Ukraine and Belgium met in the final match of the European Championship group stage – where everything was at stake. As the players marched into the stadium in Stuttgart, the Ukrainian supporters held up a flag, representing Ukrainian soldier Nazarii “Hrinka” Hryntsevych.
“Hrinka” was not only part of the Ukrainian army, he was also a football supporter.
Tribute to fallen soldiers
From afar, one could assume that the tribute was only dedicated to “Hrinka”, but the flag contained more tributes than that. His face was made up of 182 fallen Ukrainian soldiers in a mosaic pattern.
“A strong nation is united and supports each other at all times, both in victory and defeat,” Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wrote, sharing the photos of the tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers.
According to the Kyiv Post, the 182 soldiers were also supporters of various Ukrainian football clubs and the pattern was created with the help of AI.
Zelenskyj: Fought for our country
Despite the support of the Ukrainian supporters in Stuttgart, it was not enough for Ukraine in the European Championship. The match against Belgium ended 0–0 and all teams in the group finished on four points. That’s usually enough, but Ukraine finished last in the group and didn’t advance to the playoffs.
“Despite the unfortunate result, they fought for our country,” Zelensky writes.
Was captured and went back into battle
The celebrated “Hrinka” became something of a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance after his efforts in the war against Russia.
He was one of the soldiers who defended the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to the last. When Azovstal fell, “Hrinka” was captured by the Russians, but was released after a year in captivity in a prisoner exchange.
During his time in captivity, among other things, he was forced to shoot a film, where he continued to be defiant, despite his captivity. In Ukraine, he was praised for his performance in the film. Once back in Ukraine, he quickly set out on the battlefield again.
On May 6 this year, he died in battle, aged just 21. When he was buried, hundreds of people came to mourn him and several young people described him as an inspiration, who gave them the courage to take part in the battles against Russia.