89 Ukrainian Athletes, Coaches Killed In War; 13 Held As Russian Prisoners: Zelensky

Darina visits the grave of her husband, a Ukrainian police officer who recently died in a mission to rescue evacuees, as Ukrainians visit the cemetery to honour their dead relatives on the first Sunday after Easter, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 1, 2022.

Up to 89 Ukrainian athletes and coaches got killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian head of state disclosed the figure during a meeting with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported.

In addition to the fatalities among Ukrainian athletes and coaches, 13 more have been captured and are currently in Russian captivity, according to Zelensky.

"Russia's invasion has become a cruel blow to Ukrainian sports. More than 100,000 Ukrainian athletes do not have the opportunity to train today. Many infrastructure facilities have been destroyed. These are large objects of sports infrastructure and objects at our schools and Ukrainian universities, at sports clubs," the Ukrainian leader said.

Zelensky mentioned that "many" Ukrainian athletes joined the ranks of Ukraine's Armed Forces to defend their country, but it was unclear if the 89 killed all died in combat while serving in the military.

The IOC, the entity responsible for organizing the Olympic Games, will increase the budget of the fund designed to support Ukrainian athletes from $2.5 million to $7.5 million, Bach said.

The organization, which is currently supporting 3,000 Ukrainian athletes, also sees no grounds to lift sanctions imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes, and it will continue to ban them from taking part in international competitions, according to Bach.

"Our position regarding the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions remains the same; this recommendation will not be revoked," he said.

Among the Ukrainian athletes who joined their country's armed forces following the start of Russia's invasion on Feb. 24 was Olympic medalist Stanislav Horuna, the former captain of Ukraine's national karate team, CBS News previously reported.

"We'll do what is needed," Horuna, who won bronze in last year's Tokyo Summer Olympics, said.

Ukrainian professional boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko also joined their country's military in response to Russia's attack.

"It is my duty to fight, to defend my home, my family," Usyk, the world heavyweight champion said when asked why he signed up in a territorial defense battalion.