The number of killed Ukrainian athletes and coaches as a result of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has reached 479, Acting Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidny said.

"I would like to start by reminding you that more than 3,000 Ukrainian athletes who have taken up arms to defend our country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Some 479 of them have already been taken away by this war today," Bidny said at a press conference on Russia's War Crimes against Ukrainian Sports in Kyiv on Monday.

The acting minister noted that the death of these athletes is not only a blow to Ukrainian sports, but also a blow to national identity.