The Ukrainian gymnasts make their presence known quietly, by their achievement in competition and in the training hall. Long may they continue; it is a moral victory over Russia.
I can’t even imagine what it must be like to have friends and family in the firing line in Ukraine, scattered all over the world as refugees, and then to appear in a major competition like Europeans. Also visible is Oleg Vernaiev, who has remained at home in Ukraine. You can follow him on Instagram, as you can most of the gymnasts.
This week Petro Pakhniuk has been speaking online and I recommend you read this translation - Petro is very upset because the Russian gymnasts, many of whom were friends with the Ukrainians, did not speak out against the war, even in the earliest days of the conflict.
I can understand these feelings and I wonder if there will now ever be a time when Ukrainians and Russians can stand side by side on the podium again. When you think of the work they shared in the past, it is a dreadful shame.
Some of the Russians did protest at the war very early on; I can’t name them for fear they will suffer retribution. Even so, it obviously wasn’t enough. The Ukrainians have their feelings and under the circumstances feel abandoned, disappointed, and worse.
The next stage is for the gymnasts to prepare for and compete at Worlds. They are all incredibly brave, and we should support them vocally, whenever we can, in person and on social media.
Some of Ukraine’s gymnasts on Instagram - please comment with further links.
Russians did speak up about the war. For eight long years they spoke. And they warned. Again and again, at the UNSC, wherever there was a forum. Finally, on February 21st, they made their decision to recognise the Donbas Republics, officially making them Russian allies, and gave Zelensky his final warning. With NATO's blessing, he continued the shelling. And now thousands of his people are dead and both NATO and Russia are more than happy for that to continue indefinitely
ReplyDeleteWho wins? The arms manufacturers and their shareholders of course, they always do