Russian karate athlete, European champion, killed in Ukraine

Sergei Uvitsky, a Russian silver medalist of the 2010 European Karate Championship, Secretary General of the Kyokushin Karate Federation, was killed in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine, a message posted on the official website of the federation said.

No details of his death were specified. It was only said that Uvitsky (41) was killed while on a combat mission.

The Russian Union of Martial Arts has not released any comments on the athlete's death yet. The announcement that calls on athletes to sign up for volunteer squads still appears on the main page of the website of the Union.

On December 25, 2022, it was reported that the Russian Union of Martial Arts created a group of volunteers who were sent to the zone of the special operation. Uvitsky said that many Russian athletes "were looking for an opportunity to take part in the special operation."

"When an opportunity came up to do this under the auspices of the Russian Union of Martial Arts, everyone packed up and went,” he said.

Sergei Uvitsky was an international master of sports in Kyokushin karate, a European champion, a silver medalist of the Japanese Championship and the Absolute European Championship.