After war threatened to derail their preparation, these twins are on an Olympic ‘mission’ to serve Ukraine

Ukrainian twins Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva will join more than 10,000 athletes at this year’s Olympics in Paris, but the artistic swimmers’ preparation for the Games has been truly unique.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the sisters have had to navigate the grim consequences of war as they trained for what should be the most exciting weeks of their sporting careers.

In the buildup to the Games, the twins joined the Ukrainian synchronized swimming team in Kharkiv, a city near the Russian border which continues to be the target of attacks.

“There were many bad instances in Kharkiv as there is constant shelling there,” Vladyslava tells CNN Sport. “Almost every day there is some explosion, both during the day and during the night.”

“It always was very chilling as you see the rocket flying, but you don’t know where it will land.”

The twins know what it takes to prepare for an Olympics. The duo won bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2020 and have continued to compete at the highest level, bringing joy to the sport through their relentless optimism.

But their ability to remain hopeful has been tested in the buildup to Paris, with their training hampered by the daily threat of violence.

“One day. we were on our way to training and there was an explosion near us. You are not able to think at that moment where to go, what to do,” Maryna tells CNN.

“Your hands are shaking, you don’t understand what to do – so we turned back home.”

The twins say their training facility is near a tank factory which is often the target of Russian attacks.

As a result, the pool itself has been damaged, with its windows blown out and replaced only with chipboard. There was even a time, they said, that broken glass lined the bottom of the pool.

In addition to the war-torn facilities, training itself was frequently interrupted by air-raid sirens, with the twins having to jump out of the pool and head to a nearby bomb shelter in their wetsuits.

“It really influenced our training in a bad way, both mentally and physically, the fact that we could not train like other countries in normal conditions,” Maryna admits.

Despite the challenges facing the sisters, both are determined to represent their nation at the Olympic Games.

Since the beginning of the invasion two years ago, Ukrainian athletes have been urged to act as global ambassadors for their country, flying the besieged nation’s flag at events around the world.

Back at home, about 3,000 athletes – from Olympic and non-Olympic sports – have served for the country’s military, either voluntarily or by being drafted, and 479 have been killed while serving or in civilian life, according to Ukraine’s Sports Ministry earlier this year.

More than 500 sports facilities have been destroyed, including 15 Olympic training bases.

“This is a huge responsibility for all our athletes right now. In these Olympics, we are not only athletes, we also represent Ukraine,” Maryna says.

“It is an important mission to represent Ukraine appropriately.”

Although Russia is banned from competing at the Olympic Games, some of its athletes are able to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs).

These athletes will be permitted to compete if they meet eligibility requirements and no reference to the country will be made at the Games through the athletes’ participation.

Like many Ukrainians, the twins are disappointed by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to permit Russian athletes.

“We don’t see them as persons, they are not humane. They support this war, they kill our athletes, children, people. They destroy our homes,” Maryna adds.

Vladislava adds: “Of course, when we see them at the Olympics, we won’t be able to do anything about it and we don’t want to say anything to them at all.”

Ukraine has already won XX at this year’s Olympics, and the Aleksiivas are determined to add to the tally when they take to the pool in Paris.