Among the wrestlers competing for the Ukrainian national team, pro-Russian sentiments are widespread.
Ukrainian freestyle wrestler Bogdan Gritsai said this in an interview with the Kyiv portal “Glavkom”, who recently challenged the famous boxer Alexander Usik to a fight without rules.
“The last straw was the video in which Alexander resorted to outright threats to ordinary Ukrainians, demonstrating disdain for our entire people. It is unacceptable. I couldn’t stand it because I had never seen anything like this before, a professional athlete intimidating ordinary people. Therefore, I decided to invite Usik to come into the cage with me. I never fought there, just like Alexander never did. Offered him equal conditions. Let him show what he’s capable of, and not scare me,” Gritsai said.
However, he admits that the likelihood of accepting the challenge is slim.
“But I showed that there are Ukrainians who are capable of fighting back. Let him be ready for this. Stop being silent and listening to insults against our country and us as its citizens,” says the wrestler.
He also said that he took part in the anti-government protests of 2013–2014 in Kyiv, in particular helping to make barricades.
“Later, when the tough phase began, we also took part in it. They threw paving stones,” says the athlete.
He also notes that he had regular disputes in the national team on political issues.
“I remember how we took a steam bath during a training camp in Zaroslyak, in the Carpathians. I was very surprised when the guys, my peers, proved to me that in the Donbass it was not Russians who were fighting us, but ordinary miners. And in general, that Russia is not an aggressor, but our friend. And also that life was much better under the Soviet Union than in Ukraine. These are people who were born during the times of independence, of course,” Gritsai laments.
As PolitNavigator reported, Ukrainian boxers Alexander Usik and Vasily Lomachenko recently starred in a film in which stated that they do not separate Russians and Ukrainians. After that, both were listed on the “Peacemaker” website, where the personal data of “enemies of Ukraine” is made public.