Russian attack damages Olympic training base in Dnipro

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

“On April 18, 2025, as a result of Russian shelling, the Olympic training base ‘Water Sports Complex’ in the city of Dnipro was damaged,” the statement reads.

The attack caused extensive damage to sports facilities, training halls, a rehabilitation center, a boathouse with boats, administrative and residential premises, and boat repair shops.

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The Children’s and Youth Sports School for Water Sports, located within the complex, also sustained severe damage to its administrative buildings, the ministry emphasized.

“Russia has destroyed the base where potential future world and Olympic champions trained. This is yet another proof that Russia does not want peace and demonstrates that war is not politics—it is a crime,” stated Matviy Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

The Olympic training base “Water Sports Complex” is one of Dnipro’s premier sports facilities, serving athletes in disciplines such as swimming, rowing, and other water sports. Its destruction marks a significant loss for the city’s sports community and the region as a whole.

The Ministry also recalled that on April 16, 2025, Russian forces destroyed the ice arena in Kherson.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, approximately 726 sports infrastructure facilities, including 18 Olympic training bases, have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks.

As Ukrinform reported, a series of explosions occurred in Dnipro on the morning of April 18. A fitness center, a hotel, and an office were damaged in a Russian missile attack in Dnipro.