Ukrainian boxing champion Andriy Prikhodko found himself in Russian captivity during a special military operation (SVO). He is far from the only Ukrainian athlete to have been in the war zone during the conflict. There are even world champions among them.
UsykPrikhodko also said that he went to the service due to a misunderstanding with the coach. His other goal was to make a career, because in Ukraine it is impossible to get a normal job without a military ID.
“Before the service, I was engaged in professional boxing — 15 years of experience, I have such regalia as the champion of Ukraine, the champion of the Ukrainian Cup, the master of sports «I also went in for kickboxing at the same time, in between boxing fights. There I am a prize-winner of the World Championship in the full-contact section,» Prikhodko said.
At the end of April 2023, the famous Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who is the reigning WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion, came to the front and even fired on Donbass. At the same time, Usyk was photographed with a rifle at the “I love New York” stele, although this is not about an American city, but about Donetsk, which has the same name. It is curious that earlier the boxer had the title of «Honorary Citizen of Simferopol», but was deprived of it due to anti-Russian statements.
Biathletes and ex-captain of the football team The former captain of the Ukrainian national football team Vladislav Vashchuk joined the national guard, who solemnly announced his decision on social networks, admitting that some «will never understand» him. Perhaps he meant the fans of the Moscow «Spartak», in which he played 29 matches and scored one goal.
The bronze medalist of the Tokyo Olympics karateka Stanislav Goruna also joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army. Moreover, the athlete at one time defended compatriot Yaroslav Maguchikh for a photo with Russian Maria Lasitskene at the same Games in Tokyo. Then the Maguchy were literally destroyed in their homeland, and Gorun urged not to interfere with politics and sports. In particular, world champion Dmitry Pidruchny was one of the first to join the National Guard. Apparently, the stay in the army did not last too long for the biathlete, because already in the 2022/23 season, Pidruchny took part in most World Cup races and even took fifth place in the sprint at the World Championships in Oberhof.
I followed the same path and biathlete Anastasia Merkushina, who, among other things, published openly Russophobic posts on social networks. Then, apparently, she was hinted that these publications should be removed so as not to once again anger the leadership of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). There was even information that a whole team of Ukrainian biathletes appeared in the fighting in the Kherson direction, who were recruited to work as snipers. The names of the athletes were not named.