In a move celebrating sporting excellence and national promise, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially honoured Roman Dehtiarov with the prestigious “Future of Ukraine” award.
This presidential distinction award was established in 2025 to honour children who demonstrate exceptional courage, resilience, and compassion during the war, and it recognises young individuals who helped others, supported the military, or overcame extreme circumstances.
The recognition follows Dehtiarovโs historic triumph at the European Individual Chess Championship in Katowice, Poland. Entering the tournament as the #126 seed with a rating of 2452, the 17-year-old from Kharkiv stunned the world by becoming the first International Master ever to win this title. His outstanding 9/11 score and 2781 rating performance secured him the gold medal and the direct title of Grandmaster.
Dehtiarovโs win in the European Chess Championship is more than a title as it comes as a personal victory forged in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. A native of Kharkiv, he remained in the city throughout the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, facing one of the most dangerous environments in his country. At just 14 years old, he reportedly turned down an opportunity to relocate to Europe, choosing instead to stay in Ukraine with his father.
The official media announcement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy can be found below.
I met with Roman Dehtiarov, a 17โyearโold chess player from Kharkiv. He became the first player in history to win the European Championship without holding the grandmaster title.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / ะะพะปะพะดะธะผะธั ะะตะปะตะฝััะบะธะน (@ZelenskyyUa) April 21, 2026
I honored Roman with the Future of Ukraine award.
We spoke about his path, training, and plans. Heโฆ pic.twitter.com/NlZT0dLERC
