Water that restores life: La Dépêche reports from Zaporizhzhia on the rehabilitation of veterans through the Free Waves programme
How Metinvest’s Free Waves programme helps war veterans recover from their injuries through swimming – as reported by the French newspaper La Dépêche from Zaporizhzhia.Along the edge of a swimming pool in Zaporizhzhia, prostheses and crutches lie among the towels. Scattered across damp, time-worn beige tiles, they serve as a stark reminder of the brutality of the war that has engulfed this industrial city in southeastern Ukraine.After seven in the evening, Rostyslav, Serhii, Pavlo and others step into the water under the dim glow of overhead lights. Three times a week, soldiers and veterans gather for sessions of the Free Waves rehabilitation programme, developed by Ukrainian swimmer Denys Sylantyev, the 1998 world champion and a silver medallist at the 2000 Olympic Games.“Swimming helps restore both physical and mental health after the stress of combat. Soldiers come here after concussions, amputations and complex operations – under the supervision of physiotherapists or instructors,