Main points
- Vasyl Virastyuk, a famous Ukrainian athlete and father of many children, has entered politics and is now a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the Servant of the People party.
- He continues to work on the rehabilitation of veterans through physical education and sports, and also helps the Ukrainian military.
Vasyl Virastyuk / Photo from the athlete's Instagram
Today, April 22, the Ukrainian athlete turns 52. Moreover, Vasyl Virastyuk also has the status of a father of many children, because his youngest son Yaroslav was born just a year ago.
On his birthday, Channel 24 will tell you a few facts from the strongman's life, and you will also find out where Vasyl Virastyuk is now.
From athlete to politician
Back in the early 2000s, Virastyuk began competing in STRONGESTMAN powerlifting, and two years later won the title of “The Strongest in Central Europe.”
Vasyl Virastyuk's prize-winning places at competitions / Screenshot from Instagram
In 2021, Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited the strongman to run for MP in the by-elections in the Carpathian region. On June 15 of the same year, Virastyuk was sworn in in the Verkhovna Rada as a deputy from the Servant of the People party. All this happened to the cries of “Shame”.
Vasyl Virastyuk took the oath of office as a People's Deputy: watch the video online
The athlete himself said that he went into politics for a good reason – “psychological rehabilitation of veterans through physical culture and sports.”
As for his personal life, Virastyuk was married several times. His first wife was Svitlana Zabiyaka, who gave birth to his first child. Unfortunately, the woman died as a result of an avalanche.
He married for the second time in 2007. Inna gave birth to Vasyl's second child, and in 2016 the athlete became a father of many children, as a boy named Sashko was born. In 2024, the couple divorced. The relationship could not withstand the distance, because due to the war, Inna went abroad, and Virastyuk started an affair with another woman.
The new relationship produced two sons – Volodymyr and Yaroslav.
I love all my children infinitely, I wish them good luck in life, to be healthy, to become worthy people, and definitely to be happy,
– Virastyuk concluded.
Last year, the man published a photo of his sons and a new tattoo, which consists of the first letters of the boys' names – “A.O.O.V.Ya.”
Vasyl Virastyuk got a new tattoo and showed all his sons / Photo from Instagram
Where is Vasyl Virastyuk now?
Strongman lives and works in Ukraine. He helps the military and also continues to work towards the rehabilitation of veterans. Virastyuk shares all his activities on social networks.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by the Ukrainian Federation of War Veterans Sports (@ufsvv_ua)
In January 2023, Vasyl received the award “For Assistance to the Army” from Valery Zaluzhny.
We will remind that a dispute recently broke out between Virastyuk and Vladyslav Geraskevych, whose skeleton athlete was banned by the organization from competing at the Winter Olympics because of the “memory helmet”. The Verkhovna Rada put a resolution to vote on awarding Vladyslav with the Order of Merit. However, the decision was not made and Vasyl was one of those who voted against.
Geraskevych reproached the deputy for voting to eliminate the powers of the NABU and the SAPO in the summer of 2025. However, in Threads, the athlete became the object of criticism. Most people supported the strongman.