Fencer who fled Russia-Ukraine war wins European Junior Gold for Israel

Four years after the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Fedor Khaperskiy – an elite fencer who immigrated to Israel alone—won the European Junior Championship title. "I am very proud of this, both for myself and for the country. During this difficult time, I made Hatikvah [Israel’s national anthem] heard," Khaperskiy said, expressing his pride in an interview with "Kan Sport" on KAN News Reshet Bet radio. 

“I didn't come in the morning planning to win the competition; that’s not my mindset," he shared. "I came to win the first match, then the second, and step-by-step I reached the final and won that too. I fenced against good competitors, including a teammate and fellow Israeli that I know well, who is technically ranked higher than me."

Describing the tense moments of the final, Khaperskiy said: “I beat a French fencer that I know well. I didn't start the fight very well, but then I took the lead. Towards the end, he closed the gap and there was a moment of great tension until I won by one point, 15-14.” 

“Hearing Hatikvah was very exciting,” he added, “It's not the first time I've heard Hatikvah on the podium, but it's exciting every time.”

Israel fencer Fedor Khaperskiy was trained at Wingate Institute, and today, to the sound of “Hatikvah,” he is the European Junior Champion in Georgia 🇮🇱🥇

We are so proud!

📸Team Bizzi pic.twitter.com/Ll0nWrYS4a

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) February 25, 2026

Khaperskiy was welcomed with open arms at the Maccabi Harish club by coach Victor Glaz, and soon after moved to the fencing academy at the Wingate Institute. He now trains both at the academy and with Israel’s national team national facility.

“I was supposed to fly to the European Championships as a Russian fencer, but then the war started and Russians were banned from competing. We thought about how to deal with this and found the details of a national coach in Israel, Alexander Ivanov. We arranged with him how I could live and train in the country.”

“They had just opened an academy for excellence in fencing at the Wingate Institute,” he continued, "and I was one of the first athletes to arrive there. I've been living at Wingate since I immigrated to Israel. So I wanted to say thank you to the national team coach, my personal coach, Wingate, and the entire team I worked with."

Regarding his plans and aspirations for the future, Khaperskiy said: “We'll work and see what I can do. Next year is the start of the Olympic season, I'll do my best and see how far I can get.”