Prince Harry meets members of Ukraine’s Invictus Games team on Saturday, during his fourth visit to the country since it was invaded by Russia in 2022. Photograph: David Levene/The GuardianView image in fullscreenPrince Harry meets members of Ukraine’s Invictus Games team on Saturday, during his fourth visit to the country since it was invaded by Russia in 2022. Photograph: David Levene/The GuardianPrince Harry tells Ukrainians they are ‘going to win war’ on surprise trip to LvivDuke of Sussex meets wounded veterans in city and says country could one day host Invictus Games
Prince Harry has told Ukrainian soldiers they are going to win the war with Russia, during a surprise visit to the country.
The Duke of Sussex met wounded veterans and medics in the city of Lviv, in the west of Ukraine, as he addressed a conference on treating those injured in war. He said he had taken a risk in travelling to the country, but that he had felt “warmth” when arriving on Saturday.
It is the British army veteran’s fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
He spoke at a conference organised by the Superhumans Center, a clinic in Lviv that specialises in care and rehabilitation of those who have fought in the conflict. The prince has previously supported the group, which provides prosthetic limbs to those who have lost them in battle.
He said: “Every single time I come back to Ukraine, I feel welcome, I feel warmth. You’re going to win the war and then you’re going to be set up for success.”
View image in fullscreenHarry speaking to Valery Odainyk, a Ukrainian veteran and wheelchair rugby player who competed in last year’s Invictus Games. Photograph: David Levene/The GuardianHarry watched wheelchair rugby players who hope to be in Ukraine’s team at next year’s Invictus Games, which will take place in Birmingham. Ukraine is aiming to send about 60 competitors to the event – its largest ever team.
The prince said the games for wounded military veterans, which he set up in 2014, could one day be held in Ukraine. “When the war is over and when Ukraine wins, we will be ready to support you in holding an Invictus Games,” he promised.
At the rugby match, Harry hugged a player he recognised – Valery Odainyk, who took part in the Invictus Games in Canada in 2025. The 41-year-old, who uses prosthetic legs, said he was “still an active serviceman”, and the prince expressed surprise he found time to train.
Odainyk said afterwards he had told Harry his involvement in his sport “all started and continues with the Invictus Games”.
The prince visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in September 2025 and in April this year. During the April visit, he called Ukraine “a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank” and said “it matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that”.
The 42-year-old spent a decade in the British army and served in Afghanistan, including as a helicopter pilot. He has described those years as the happiest of his life.
