The Vilnius Half Marathon took place in Lithuania’s capital, opening once again with participation from Ukrainian veterans undergoing rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN center in Lviv. As part of the symbolic UNBROKEN Veterans Run, five veterans completed a 200-meter opening segment in central Vilnius.

The participants — Yegor Oliinyk, Ivan Drozd, Roman Chernenko, Illia Dmytryshyn, and Kyrylo Baranov — officially opened the race, highlighting resilience and the journey of recovery after wartime injuries.

Several of the veterans went on to take part in the full event distances. Ivan Drozd completed the 21 km half marathon, Roman Chernenko ran 10 km, and Kyrylo Baranov covered 5 km.

“Even a short symbolic distance creates a meaningful connection between veterans and the running community that supports them. It’s a chance to stand side by side, feel that support, and show that recovery is ongoing,” said veteran and participant Ivan Drozd.

The event was attended by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Lithuania Olha Nikitchenko, Lithuania’s Special Envoy Darius Skusevičius, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Audra Plepytė, and Artūras Žarnovskis, Head of the Co-create Future of Ukraine program.

An UNBROKEN information stand was also set up in Vilnius’ main square, where visitors could learn more about the initiative and support the UNBROKEN Kids pediatric rehabilitation program. The activation also helped raise funds for children’s recovery efforts.