Ukraine conflict
“We have to defend our country”: Wladimir Klitschko volunteers in Kiev
Full commitment to Ukraine: Wladimir Klitschko volunteers for the Territorial Defense Brigade in Kiev
© Genya Savilov / AFP
Wladimir Klitschko has proven for years in the ring that he can fight with his fists. The former world boxing champion has now made it clear that he would use sharper weapons if Russia invaded Ukraine.
In view of the threat to Ukraine from Russia, former world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has registered as a reservist. On Wednesday, the 45-year-old and his brother Vitali, five years his senior, went to a facility in Kiev where volunteers can register for national defense. Vitali Klitschko has been the mayor of the Ukrainian capital since 2014.
“Friends! I came to find out about the counseling of volunteers in the first center for the recruitment of reservists set up by the capital,” Vitali Klitschko commented on Twitter on a photo of himself and Wladimir in the facility. “My brother applied and submitted documents to join the Kiev Territorial Defense Brigade.”
Wladimir Klitschko’s daughter goes to school in Kiev
In a press conference after registration, Wladimir Klitschko justified his step: When he sees that his country is in geopolitical difficulties, he cannot and will not stand still, said the son of a Ukrainian officer and a Ukrainian elementary school teacher. “That’s why I’m here and that’s why I enlisted today for the territorial defense of the country and the city.” With his gesture, he wanted to convince people to do the same, explained Klitschko. “Stand up for your home, stand up for your country, stand up for your family,” he urged his compatriots.
The former heavyweight professional reported that his daughter went to school in Kiev. And parents strive to ensure their children a safe environment. “There are two options: you can run away or you can face the challenge,” said Klitschko. “My choice was to face the challenge and protect the environment of my family, my friends, my relatives, my daughter.”
Outside the registration center, a CNBC reporter asked Klitschko if he thought the United States was doing enough to help Ukraine in the face of a possible military confrontation with Russia. “I don’t think it’s ever enough,” he replied, but “it’s definitely a big help.”
Invasion of Ukraine would be ‘a problem for everyone’
Klitschko warned that the West should be careful not to show “weakness” when it comes to geopolitical crises like the Ukraine-Russia conflict. “I believe that in certain situations the West sometimes shows weakness and that we need to be more united to protect each other and to protect our interests and our democracy, which we fought for and developed in the western world,” he said he CNBC reporter Hadley Gamble. The ex-sportsman called for better communication between Western allies and stressed that a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine “would be a problem for everyone”.
Klitschko clarified that there was little desire for further bloodshed in Ukraine, especially given the deaths of more than 13,000 people in the Donbass region in the ongoing conflict with pro-Russian separatists. But: “We have to defend our country.”
He already has a prominent comrade-in-arms: his big brother. Vitali Klitschko, who is being discussed as a presidential candidate for 2024, recently assured on a talk show: “If military aggression begins, then I will take an assault rifle and go fight for Ukraine.”
Sources: CNBC, Vitali Klitschko on Twitter, Hadley Gamble on Twitter I, Hadley Gamble on Twitter II