Ukraine war
Vitali Klitschko turned directly to Putin, who put him on Russia’s “death list.”
Vitali Klitschko reiterates he will not stop fighting Russian invasion, even if it means losing his life (stock image from 2019)
© Serg Glovny / Picture Alliance
Former Ukrainian heavyweight boxer and current mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko has sent a message of defiance to Vladimir Putin, saying that Ukrainians are “ready to die” to defend their country against a Russian invasion.
Putin recently launched a military invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, confirmed on Tuesday evening that “the enemy is on the outskirts of the capital” and that the Ukrainian military is “preparing to defend Kyiv”, as summarized by the British portal Metro.
Vitali Klitschko: “Fighting heroically for our country”
“Our armed forces, the Territorial Defense Forces, are fighting heroically for our country,” Klitschko told CNN. “Fortifications and checkpoints have been set up at the entrances to the city. I ask everyone to remain calm. Do not go outside unnecessarily and stay in emergency shelters in the event of an alarm,” he continued. The Times reported that Vitali Klitschko was included along with his brother Wladimir on Putin’s 24-strong “kill list” of high-profile Ukrainian targets, but the 50-year-old reiterated that Ukrainians would not stop fighting the Russian invasion, themselves if it means losing her life.
Klitschko on the Ukraine war: “I ask everyone to keep calm”
When asked directly if he had a message for Putin, Klitschko told CNN: “We were in the USSR, we don’t want to go back to the Russian Empire.” Then he addressed the Ukrainians: “Fortifications and checkpoints have been set up at the entrances to the city. I ask everyone to remain calm. Do not go outside unnecessarily and stay in emergency shelters in the event of an alarm.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said in a video message to his nation that the government’s main priority was the defense of Kiev: “Kyiv is special. If we protect Kyiv, we protect the state. This is the heart of our country and it must keep hitting.”
Vitali Klitschko – the older of the two Boxing brothers – has been mayor of the metropolis of Kyiv with its 2.8 million inhabitants since 2014. He was born in 1971 to a Ukrainian Air Force colonel and a teacher in Soviet Kyrgyzstan. “Dr. Eisenfaust”, as Vitali Klitschko was known because of his toughness, was WBO and later WBC world champion. His biggest fight was against British World Champion Lennox Lewis in June 2003.
Swell: metro, Youtube channel CNN, “time”DPA