Last week, Moscow hosted another stage of a major international historical medieval battle championship, bringing together around two hundred warriors in full medieval armor. For several days, the city was transformed into a tournament ground where fighters from Russia and across Europe demonstrated just how spectacular full-contact armored combat can be.
The “Sword of Russia” tournament gathered 200 athletes from Italy, France, Russia and Serbia. Organizers emphasize that the format varies: men and women compete in “five versus five” team battles, while the largest clashes take place among men — the “twelve versus twelve” fights.
Among those who drew particular attention from the crowd was two-time world champion Marina Golovina, known as the founder and captain of the country’s first women’s HMB team. Another key figure of the tournament was Dmitry Kunchenko, who leads the Russian national team.
Historical medieval battle has long evolved from a hobby for reenactors into a discipline with clear rules and striking dynamics: fighters wear armor weighing around 25 kilograms and wield blunted swords, axes and halberds.
Despite strict safety measures, the intensity of contact makes these fights as realistic as possible. Interest in HMB continues to grow internationally — it has been officially recognized in Monaco and New Zealand, and the Russian team has remained the world leader for ten consecutive years, holding the title of ten-time world champion.
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Amid the competitions, the fighters’ equipment also received considerable attention. Evgeny Strzhalkovsky, founder of the renowned Bern club, explained in detail how Russian fighters are provided with the necessary protection. According to Strzhalkovsky, the armor is handcrafted by domestic masters: “These are armor sets specially developed by Russian craftsmen on the basis of historical European prototypes.”
Strzhalkovsky underscores not only the technological sophistication but also the cultural continuity of such equipment — it allows historical accuracy to be preserved while meeting the safety requirements of modern sport.
