Kyiv, Friday
Oleksandra “Sasha” Paskal, a 10-year-old Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast who lost her leg in a Russian missile attack, will be in Kenya next week to perform as part of her “Dance of Freedom Tour” taking her across five continents.
The “Dance of Freedom Tour” is a global initiative launched by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in partnership with Ukraine’s top football club FC Shakhtar Donetsk .
The tour programme takes Sasha to Paris (17 July), New York (20 July), Rio de Janeiro (23 July), Nairobi (27 July) and Tokyo (31 July), performing a dance routine at iconic city venues dedicated to freedom and the strength of Ukrainian children affected by the war.
Sasha, who is from the Odesa region of Ukraine, survived a Russian missile strike in 2022 and lost her left leg as a result of the attack. After treatment and rehabilitation, she returned to rhythmic gymnastics using a prosthesis and resumed competing.
Gold Medal, Remarkable Resilience
Earlier this year, she won the gold medal at the prestigious Carla's Rhythmic Cup, an international competition in Romania, demonstrating not only her technical ability but also her remarkable resilience.
Her story has since become a symbol of courage, recovery, and determination.
Oleksandra’s whistlestop programme in Nairobi on Monday (July 27) starts with gymnastics exercises with children and interaction with coaches and children alongside a dance performance at the Gymnastics Federation of Kenya’s Elite Gymnastics Club in Thindigua from 9am before she proceeds to the federation’s Kids Gymnastics Centre on Owashika Road, Lavington from 11am.
In the afternoon from 1pm, she will be at Kinyanjui Road Primary School for a dance performance where she will also give her personal story before engaging in exercises with children alongside an art activity with over 30 local children expected to attend.
Her two-day programme concludes on Tuesday (July 28) with a session at the United Nations Complex, media engagement and meeting with officials from the Kenya National Paralympic Committee before her afternoon departure.
"Future of Ukraine" State Honour
Through the “Dance of Freedom Tour”, Oleksandra wants to remind international audiences that the war in Ukraine continues, but that Ukrainian children continue to dream, create, train, and move forward.
In recognition of her courage and resilience, she was awarded the "Future of Ukraine" state honour by President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska in 2025.
Ukrainian state honour recipient Sasha Paskal, 10, in France. After surviving a wartime bombing and returning to competitive gymnastics, the gold medalist is scheduled to share her message of recovery with children at Kinyanjui Road Primary School in Nairobi this Monday. (Photo / Empower Sport)
Her performance uses dance as a universal language — one that can speak about freedom, childhood and resilience without the need for translation.
The initiative is also dedicated to the forthcoming 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, linking Oleksandra’s personal journey to a broader message about Ukraine’s fight for freedom and the right of its children to have a future.
The tour reflects the continued commitment of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation to supporting people in Ukraine during the war, including children and families affected by injury, displacement and trauma.
Together with FC Shakhtar Donetsk, the Foundation is using sport, storytelling and international visibility to amplify the voices of Ukrainians whose lives have been changed by the war.
Oleksandra’s journey is not a story of pity but of recovery. Through every performance, she carries a simple message from Ukraine to the world: even in the face of war, children’s dreams can survive.
About Rinat Akhmetov Foundation
The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is a Ukrainian private philanthropic foundation established in 2005 by Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian businessman, philanthropist, founder of System Capital Management Group (SCM), and owner and president of Shakhtar Donetsk since 1996.
Even in the face of war, children’s dreams survive. Ten-year-old Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Sasha Paskal uses dance as a universal language of hope. After losing her leg to a missile strike, she brings her global "Dance of Freedom Tour" to Nairobi to prove that resilience knows no borders. (Photo / Empower Sports)
Originally created as the Foundation for Development of Ukraine, the organisation began with long-term social, healthcare, family support, education and cultural programmes, before becoming one of Ukraine’s most visible humanitarian organisations during the war, helping with more than 350 million euros to support Ukrainians during this period.
Today, the Foundation supports civilians affected by war through humanitarian aid, medical assistance, psychological support, child welfare, rehabilitation, housing-related initiatives, and the preservation of civilian testimonies through the Museum of Civilian Voices.
Its work includes the distribution of more than 12.5 million survival kits, over 13.4 million food packages, psychological support for more than 1 million people, assistance to 10,748 children through anti-orphanhood programmes, 149 rehabilitation courses for injured children, 200 ambulances delivered to Ukraine’s emergency medical system, and more than 145,000 civilian testimonies collected. (Empower Sports)
