Artem Grot
Artem Grot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Grot |
| Born | Artem Gennadyevich Kuzmich 6 August 1995 Vitebsk, Belarus |
Branch | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
Service years | 2014–2021 |
| Unit | Azov Regiment (2014–2015) Special Operations Forces (Ukraine) (2016–2021) |
| Commands | Instructor |
Conflicts | Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Other work | Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete, veteran activist, entrepreneur |
Artem Grot (Belarusian: Арцём Грот), born Artem Gennadyevich Kuzmich (Belarusian: Арцём Генадзевіч Кузьміч); call sign Grot (born 6 August 1995, Vitebsk, Belarus) is a Ukrainian military veteran of the Special Operations Forces (Ukraine), Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner (world champion in para-jiu-jitsu), and social activist of Belarusian origin.[1] He is the founder of the TMS HUB sports hub for veteran rehabilitation, the M13 Fights fighting league, and the MEMORIA MMC motorcycle club.[2]
Early life
Grot was born on 6 August 1995 in Minsk, Belarus.[3] As a teenager, he was interested in the opposition movement and was involved with the ultras scene.[4] At the age of 18, after the Euromaidan events of 2014, he decided to travel to Ukraine and join the fight against Russian aggression.[4][3][5]
Military service
In June 2014, he volunteered for the Azov Regiment, where he served until 2015.[3][5]
From 2016, he served in the Special Operations Forces (Ukraine).[3] In 2017, he successfully completed the qualification course for Special Operations Forces personnel (Q-course).[6] From 2019 to 2021, he worked as an instructor training special operations personnel.[4]
In February 2019, while on a combat mission, he was injured by a landmine explosion and lost the lower part of his left leg (below-knee amputation).[3][7] After four months of rehabilitation, he continued serving as an instructor until the spring of 2021, when he ended his military career.[4][3]
Sports career
In 2020, Grot began intensive training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as part of his physical rehabilitation.[8] In just 8 months, he earned a blue belt, logging around 300 hours on the mats and competing in four tournaments.[9] In 2021, he won his first gold medals at Ukrainian Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships in both GI and NO-GI divisions.[3][7][10]
In September 2021, he participated in the AJP Tour international tournament in Brazil, competing in the Adult (blue belt) and Para Jiu-Jitsu (absolute) categories and winning gold in both.[9][7] During his time in Brazil, he also trained at a specialized academy working exclusively with athletes with disabilities to learn inclusive sports methods.
In July 2021, the Ukrainian Brazilian jiu-jitsu league TMS announced the "Inclusive Jiu-Jitsu" project, initiated and led by Artem Grot. In 2022, based on his own experience and international training, he founded TMS HUB – Ukraine's first specialized Brazilian jiu-jitsu space for veterans and athletes with disabilities, focused on physical rehabilitation and social adaptation through sport.[11]
Grot currently holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and continues to compete and develop inclusive veteran sports programs.
Social activity
In 2023, he founded TMS HUB in Kyiv – an inclusive space offering free Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for military personnel and veterans with disabilities (particularly amputees). The project has grown into a network of veteran clubs.[3]
He is also the founder of the M13 Fights fighting league (tournaments featuring fist fights and medieval combat for representatives of Ukraine's Defense Forces, including amputee veterans)[12] and the MEMORIA MMC veteran motorcycle club.[3]
In 2024, he helped clear rubble following the Russian strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv.[13]
In March 2026, he announced the opening of a veteran restaurant on Yaroslaviv Val Street in central Kyiv. Profits from the restaurant will be directed toward the rehabilitation of military personnel with amputations and the creation of jobs for veterans. Grot describes this as part of a new model for the veteran movement – moving from reliance on donations to independent business.[3][7]
References
- ↑ "Добраахвотнік Грот: Твая краіна ў акупацыі, што ты робіш, каб яе вызваліць?". Наша Ніва (in Belarusian). 7 September 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Протез, джиу-джитсу і байк: історія білоруса – ветерана ССО". Армія FM (in Ukrainian). 29 April 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Від добровольця з Білорусі до ресторатора: ветеран ССО Артем Грот про бізнес, силу і нову модель ветеранського руху". РБК-Україна. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Васіль Вашчыла (30 November 2023). "Беларус адправіўся на вайну пасля выпадковай сустрэчы з Някляевым. У 23 гады ў баі ён страціў нагу. Вось што ён робіць цяпер". Наша Ніва (in Belarusian). Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Белорусский доброволец собирается открыть в Киеве ресторан". Наша Ніва. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Рішення піти на війну, як прийшов у джиу-джитсу та що думає про білорусів – ветеран ССО Артем Грот". Army TV. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
Q-курс – таймкод 23:40
- 1 2 3 4 "Ветеранський ресторан у Києві спрямує прибуток на реабілітацію військових з ампутаціями". ГОРДОН. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ Ганна Камлач (23 January 2024). "Белорус после ранения стал чемпионом по джиу-джитсу и основал в Киеве хаб для реабилитации военных". Зеркало (in Russian). Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Поранення – не перешкода. Ветеран ССО здобув перемогу на міжнародному турнірі з джиу-джитсу". Сили спеціальних операцій ЗС України (in Ukrainian). 29 September 2021.
- ↑ Вадим Куц (5 June 2021). "Ветеран ССО Артем Кузьмич (Грот), потерявший ногу на войне с РФ, победил во всеукраинском турнире по джиу-джитсу. ФОТОрепортаж". Цензор.НЕТ (in Russian). Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "«Хлопці без ніг перемагають спортсменів з двома руками й ногами»: керівник спортклубу про джиу-джитсу в Кропивницькому". Суспільне (in Ukrainian). 9 June 2025.
- ↑ Анастасія Чебрець (11 July 2025). "Артем Грот: M13 FIGHTS – продовження братерства, народженого під обстрілами". Інформатор (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ Софія Рожик (8 July 2024). "Ветеран з протезом допомагає розбирати завали «Охматдиту»: щемливе відео". 24 Канал (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 20 March 2026.