KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Master of sports swimmer Mykhailo Romanyshyn has said he intends to set a record by swimming the Ukrainian stretch of the Dnipro River from the Ukraine-Belarus border to the Black Sea.

"The swim starts on the border with Belarus on August 5, and the finish will be tentatively 27 to 30 days from then at the section of the river flowing into the Black Sea," he said at a press conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday.

Romanyshyn said the swim would start in the village of Strakholissya, Kyiv region, near the Belarusian border and will end in Kherson's Glory Park. He said the distance to be covered is about 850 kilometers.

The athlete estimates he will swim about 30 kilometers every 12 hours.

He will be accompanied by a support group that includes his coach and a special vehicle will bring food and supplies for sleepovers. A police patrol boat will accompany the swimmer during his record-breaking quest.

Experts representing the national register for Ukrainian records will record the accomplishment.

According to a statement distributed to the press, the main objective of the feat is to draw attention to environmental problems of the Dnipro, popularize swimming and help young, gifted athletes.