In December 2024, 16-year-old Mariia Hnes, a Ukrainian karate champion, competed in Venice, Italy against an athlete from russia. They both won medals and were expected to stand together on the podium and take a group photo. However, Mariia, whose father serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, chose instead to walk away, and her principled act of dignity was caught on video and became a viral moment of pride for Ukrainians everywhere. Here is that video.
In September, 2025, American-Ukrainian singer and foundation director Kelsie Kimberlin traveled to Kyiv to film a music video with Mariia to inspire the world with the strength and honor of Ukrainians of all ages. She filmed the video over several days during some of the worst missile and drone attacks of the war. The video shows one of those attacks while Kelsie and Mariia are sheltering in a hallway. In the video, Kelsie appears at a time when Mariia needs a confidence boost and becomes her de facto mentor to pump her up to be a champion. The video was released along with this UkrainianChampions.com campaign to support the children of Ukrainian soldiers who participate in sports. Kelsie has created a website to raise funds for the campaign that will be managed by her KelsieKimberlinFoundation.org website. All funds raised will be used to support the campaign and assist the children. Athletes everywhere are urged to rally around the campaign with words of support, donations, and other assistance to Ukrainian children.
On February 24, 2026, the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war against Ukraine, popular American-Ukrainian singer Kelsie Kimberlin released her new song, “Champ,” as a tribute to all Ukrainians who live with dignity and principle rather than bowing to terrorists who kill and destroy them and their land. That dignity is shared not only by Ukrainian adults but also by Ukrainian children who courageously stand against terrorism. Here is that music video.