On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched a high-speed military offensive on Ukraine. Faced with this violent conflict, many Ukrainian men and women take up arms to defend their country at war. Among them great athletes and a former beauty queen.
Following the appeal of the Ukrainian authorities, more and more civilians are joining the army to fight the Russian armed forces. And if many have never held a weapon in their hands, they all feel the need to act in the name of their freedom. On social networks, many athletes and public figures join the resistance and call for international mobilization.
Vitali Klitschko, boxer and mayor of Kiev
Vasyl Lomachenko, world boxing champion
Anastasiia Lenna, former Miss Ukraine
“We want to win! I was born and live in Kiev. It’s my city. Ukraine is my country. On February 24, the Russian Federation landed on our land and began killing civilians, women and children. Ukrainians are not guilty. None of us are to blame. We are on our land! I speak to all the nations of the world! No one should die! We can stop this all together. †
Sergiy Stakhovsky, tennis player
“I have no military experience. I have experience with weapons, in a personal capacity. I don’t understand why the majority of my compatriots have to risk their lives to send their loved ones away from it all while I sit here. †
Oleksandr Usyk, world boxing champion
“You are not fighting our state or our military, but our people. It’s our country. †
Yaroslav Popovych, former cyclist
“For two days all I thought about was leaving and taking up arms. I hesitated a lot in 2014, when I was still a runner. […] I can not do anything. Yes, of course I’m afraid, but in 2014 people were bombed every day, even though much less people were talking about it, and I didn’t go there. Today I don’t want to hide anymore. †
Dmytro Pidruchnyi, Biathlon Pursuit World Champion
“My team and I remain in Ukraine to protect our homes and families from the Russian forces† †
An exemplary mobilization in this war context.