Transcarpathian athlete Denys Berezhnyk, who won the Ukrainian Strongman Championship in the 110 kg weight category in 2021, violated the law on leaving the country during the war. The native of Khust left for a competition in the United States in early November and stayed there.

According to the Strongman Federation of Ukraine (SFU), Khust, using the trust of his comrades and the federation's leadership, deliberately lied about his plans to return, and he sold his property in Khust in advance, "insidiously planning his escape".

"We, as a patriotic and law-abiding organisation, are not going to cover up shameful crimes, so we have officially appealed to the SBU and the State Border Guard Service to respond and punish Berezhnyk," the SFU said in a statement on Facebook.

The SFU suggests that this act casts a shadow over all athletes of the federation and may lead to refusals to allow athletes to travel to future international competitions.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, last August, Berezhnyk and other strongmen set a record by moving the world's largest AN-225 Mriya aircraft 4 metres 30 centimetres in 1 minute 13 seconds. They dedicated this event to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

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