Belarusian volunteer plans to open a restaurant in Kyiv

Artsyom Grot. Photo: RBC-Ukraine

Veteran of Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Artsyom Grot, known for his sports and veteran initiatives, plans to open a restaurant in the center of Kyiv. The new establishment is intended to become part of a broader model of veteran community — a place of work for those who have returned from the front, a meeting place for like-minded people, and a step towards independence from donations. In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Artsyom Grot spoke about the war, business, and a new community model for veterans.

Artsyom was born in Belarus, but back in 2014, at the age of 18, he decided to fight for Ukraine. He joined Azov, and later — the Special Operations Forces, within which he was wounded, leading to the amputation of a leg.

Today, he remains in Ukraine and continues to launch new projects here. Among them are TMS HUB, a sports space with jiu-jitsu for the rehabilitation of servicemen, which later grew into a network of veteran clubs, the M13 FIGHTS combat club, and the MEMORIA MMC motorcycle club.

He not only trains others but also has significant personal sports achievements — World Champion in Para-Jiu-Jitsu (Abu Dhabi, 2025), European Championship silver medalist, and multiple champion of Ukraine.

Now a restaurant can be added to his initiatives — a project that offers a different perspective on the veteran movement. Where after the front, warriors can be an active, strong, successful part of society and create new opportunities and value in peaceful life.

— Artsyom, how did you come up with the idea of opening a restaurant in the first place?

— Actually, you could say this idea found us. For many years I have dedicated myself to the goal of creating opportunities for veteran rehabilitation. When I was looking for a new building for our projects, I received a favorable offer – it's about a house with a Bread Shop. Everything came together: attractive sublease conditions, the city center, and a spacious building. But I was also interested in the history of this place. It used to be a canteen. And I thought: why not? It's a logical step after restoring spirit and body through sports — to create jobs among like-minded people for those who have returned from the front.

— Currently, you are engaged in sports initiatives, helping servicemen with rehabilitation, running a motorcycle club, and planning to open a restaurant. Why have you started adapting to modern Ukraine outside the military sphere? Although there are various ways you could have found fulfillment by remaining in the army.

— I cannot be near the war. For me, that would simply be death. I cannot sit in headquarters, command people, watch everything through cameras, send them to their deaths, while I myself sit in headquarters and drink coffee. I either participate directly, fully and completely, or I don't participate at all. That's why I chose the military-sports path with a focus on veteran rehabilitation.

— Behind you are serious sporting achievements — the title of World Champion in Para-Jiu-Jitsu, European Championship silver, victories in Ukrainian championships. Why did you choose jiu-jitsu among all sports and martial arts?

— In late May 2021, I won my first championship in Kharkiv among able-bodied athletes, despite having only trained for six months. This was the white belt category. Meaning people who have been training for 2-3 years. This moment became a realization for me: I fight very well, even though I have amputations. And I must develop this among veterans with amputations, because everything is built on groundwork (grappling) — that is, on the ground. For this, you don't need to stand on two legs. Two people are somehow lying or sitting. The specifics of this sport are such that a person with a disability can adapt to wrestling. At that time, there were approximately 300 veterans with prosthetics — during the ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation), over eight years. The thought occurred to me that a gym should be created for them, a kind of community where we can train and help each other. In war, the most common are leg amputations. The specificity of the sport itself, how the grappling is structured, is such that feet are practically not needed there. Therefore, we clearly understand: of all sports, jiu-jitsu is one of the most adaptive and suitable for people with amputations.

— Are you aware of the statistics on the number of people with amputations in Ukraine at the moment?

— There are no exact statistics. It's definitely more than 10 thousand people, but less than 100 thousand. I think it's about 30-50 thousand people.

— Does your club have any restrictions? Is there any limit to the number of participants you can accept?

— I accept everyone. Absolutely everyone. And now it's already very crowded there.

— You lack space, but at the same time, you're opening a restaurant?

— Actually, it was the search for a larger space for the gym that led us to this idea. That is, we were generally looking for an opportunity to expand, to occupy a larger area. But during this search, we also found an offer to create our own business. This is a wonderful opportunity to show that we can build a successful business, not related to sports, motorcycles, or war. And this business will help us become less dependent on donations in the future.

— Regarding funding, it's interesting, tell us, where do you get the money?

— We have two funding streams. The first is membership fees and private donations from both civilians and military personnel. We had one case. A guy with foot amputations was wounded, and he had an open account for rehabilitation. He came to me, trained with us for about two months, and said: 'Artsyom, I believe in what you're doing. I received donations for my rehabilitation. Can I transfer one hundred thousand hryvnias?' I said: 'Brother, I can't forbid you. These are your money — you could have spent them on yourself.' He transferred these one hundred thousand hryvnias for development, repairs, and so on. The second is grant support. For two years, while we worked only with private funds, we still managed to build a grant history. Currently, the coach's salary, administrator's salary, and premises rent are covered by a grant. But we really need grant writers for the team. We have a general fund, which is formed from various contributions. And from it, we cover expenses not covered by the grant. Ideally, I would dream of buying this building where we train, if such an opportunity arose. But for now, at this stage, we have a premise that we rent for a symbolic amount.

— By the way, what about the donation trend now — are people donating less or is it stable?

— In the fifth year of the war, people are donating significantly less. And this, in principle, is logically explained. People get tired, many face their own household problems, and the ability to help financially decreases. Speaking of the restaurant, which we started our conversation with, — this is precisely one of the reasons why we want to move towards commercial activity. I clearly understand: one can only be reliant on charity for a certain time. Later it will be even more difficult, and our needs only grow. Plus, I don't want society to perceive us as people with disabilities after the war, who simply need to be given a penny. It's important for me to create conditions so that we ourselves can build businesses and earn money for our own social initiatives. Because no one, except veterans, knows better what we need.

— Let's say you manage to realize yourself in several different business areas in the next two years. What would happen to your club then? How would you develop and invest in it?

— The club, in essence, would become the controller of this entire story, a management point. We are talking about military rehabilitation, social projects, various areas, plus business projects — and the club would become a mechanism that accumulates people around itself. And then to develop this story across the country following the example of what we did in Kyiv, creating similar communities in all cities.

— How did your M13 FIGHTS combat club come about?

— We get together and try to create various projects. One day, sitting at a table during club meetings, we thought: why not hold bare-knuckle fights in our backyard? That's how it started. In total, we have already held four tournaments. The first was open — back then, no one knew what it was. The second was closed, between HUR (Main Intelligence Directorate) units, for the guys within those units. The third was also closed, for Kyrylo Budanov. And the fourth became a large-scale open tournament at the end of the 2025 motorcycle season. It took place in the 'Kyivan Rus' park near Kyiv — about two thousand spectators came there.

— Who participates in these fights? What rules and principles do you establish?

— We primarily position M13 Fights as bare-knuckle fights, in which only representatives of the Ukrainian Defense Forces participate. That is, people who serve in the army or work in law enforcement/security agencies. Our best fighters are special forces soldiers. They perform combat missions, train, and compete in tournaments.

— Do people with amputations participate?

— Yes, we also attract people with amputations, and those who have returned from captivity. For example, at the first tournament, a guy with an amputation fought against a fighter who had spent two and a half years in captivity and was released only four months prior. We emphasize that bare-knuckle fights are a format exclusively for military personnel. But our tournaments also feature other sports disciplines: boxing, K-1 rules bouts — where one can strike with hands and feet without grappling. There are also knightly fights — with swords, in armor. Overall, we position this as a sports festival. The main event is bare-knuckle fights, but various other bouts take place before them. For me, it's about popularizing strength. Not violence — but precisely strength. Because truth, as a rule, is on the side of the strong. That is why we will continue to add new sports. Everything, of course, is related to martial arts.

— In 2014, at the age of 18, you made the decision to leave Belarus for Ukraine and go to war. How did you come to such a decision?

— The decisive impulse, essentially the 'nail in the coffin' of my faith in the future in Belarus, was a chance and almost impossible street meeting with one of our opposition leaders.

— Who was it?

— Uladzimir Niakliayeu — a Belarusian writer and poet, one of the opposition leaders. He was imprisoned for a long time for daring to be a presidential candidate and calling people to protests. One day, in May 2014, I was walking down the street with a comrade, and suddenly I saw Niakliayeu walking towards me. I approached him and simply introduced myself, said that I didn't need an ordinary life and wanted to change the world around me, and asked what he, as an opposition leader, could advise us. I asked if it might be time to set fire to police stations — RUUS (District Department of Internal Affairs), attack politicians, whatever, and he answered exactly what had been on my mind for a long time: 'If you want to change something — go to war in Ukraine.'

— Why do you think most of your peers at that time were formed differently and thought differently? After all, your story seems quite unique.

— There is no national identity and attachment. There is no understanding that you should fight for what is yours. And there isn't even a clear understanding of what 'yours' is. I lived in Belarus until I was 18 and yet I don't know the Belarusian language. Just like 99% of Belarusians. Complete colonization — everything is the same. No one particularly bothers to figure out what to divide: fraternal peoples, integration.

— As of today, are you Belarusian or Ukrainian?

— Ukrainian of Belarusian descent. I lived in Belarus until I was 18. And I have been here for the 13th year now, for most of my adult life.

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