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Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir – both former world heavyweight boxing champions – have revealed that they are ‘ready to die’ for Ukraine as they defend it against the Russian invasion.
The two boxing icons have taken up arms in Kyiv and are staring a 40-mile Russian convoy in the face, which is approaching the country’s capital.
However, both Vitali and Wladimir have reiterated their commitment to defending their country and are ready to give up their lives for their home.
‘We’re not interested in how strong the Russian army is, we’re ready to fight,’ Vitali told CNN. ‘And we’re ready to die for our home country and for our families, because it’s our home. It’s our future and somebody wants to come to our home and steal our future from us.’
Vitali has also applauded the ‘amazing’ and ‘huge patriotic movement’ from Ukrainians who have stayed to fight the Russians, with ‘old people, doctors and actors’ all taking up arms to create a makeshift army.
He added: ‘We stayed in front of one of the strongest armies in the world. The will to be independent is the main priority for us. And we’re defending our families, our city, our country and our future.
‘There is a huge patriotic movement right now. Old people, can you imagine? Doctors, actors, actors from the theatre, many professions that never had no expectation to fight, to keep weapons.
‘But right now they are coming to us, they’re ready to fight. It’s amazing.’
Wladimir Klitschko (right) and brother Vitali (left) are ‘ready to die’ in defending Ukraine
The brothers have also applauded the ‘huge patriotic movement’ from Ukrainians who have stayed in the country, with ‘old people, doctors and actors’ all taking up arms
Ukraine’s capital Kyiv remained under a heavy bombing campaign, striking civilian areas
The Klitschko brothers called for more support from allies on Wednesday, as Wladimir revealed there were ‘never enough’ resources as the country’s infrastructure has been partially crippled by shelling during a ‘terrible advance’ over the past few days.
The brothers thanked governments which had provided international help but said basic supplies like food and water were needed as well as more weapons.
In a joint interview on BBC News, Wladimir said: ‘It’s never enough. There’s huge demand because infrastructure is partially destroyed by the shelling that is happening all over the country in the different cities.
‘It’s absolutely not enough and we definitely need support and help – financial support, military equipment support, medical support.’
His brother added: ‘Everyone has to be involved. It’s war not against Ukraine, it’s war against (all) civilians and it’s war against democracy.
Vitali (left) and Wladimir (right) want more support from other nations for Ukraine
Vitali (left) and Wladimir (right) are both former world heavyweight boxing champions
Vitali and his brother Wladimir Klitschko have taken up arms to defend their country
‘We need support – support from the whole world.’
Russian president Vladimir Putin is trying to rebuild the ‘Soviet or Russian Empire’ but the future of Ukraine should be as a modern democracy within the ‘European family’, Vitali added.
Wladimir welcomed the move by UEFA and FIFA to suspend all Russian football clubs from international competition but said more could be done to cut communication with Russia entirely.
‘You can just ban at least sporting teams, FIFA and the UEFA did it, Formula 1 did it, just to put pressure on Putin and his aggression and the war that he’s started in Ukraine,’ he said.
Vitali has been pictured in an army uniform as he prepares to fight for his country
‘With all of this and much more to come, hopefully we can stop it sooner than later. Stop communication with Russia.’
The brothers were questioned about reports of non-Ukrainian nationals being treated unfairly at the border, which Wladimir dismissed as Russian propaganda.
He rejected allegations that people from Asian and African backgrounds had been blocked from escaping the country.
Wladimir said: ‘I’m sorry, this question is probably wrongly asked because it’s impossible. We are in a free country and everyone can get in and get out.’
Told the reports had come from a number of people, he said: ‘You better be careful because you know propaganda works really well.
‘It brainwashes you so well that all those children in the military uniform, Russian soldiers, and they say, “Oh, we’re defending you guys from Nazis”. Who are they?
‘This is… complete nonsense, and just brainwash with the propaganda. That actually works, it’s been done for a long time.’
Vitali interjected, saying: ‘We’re sorry we have right now to go. Great to talk to you and thank you for supporting Ukraine. Thank you for unity with Ukraine… and we need help from our friends.’
Wladimir later appeared alone on Sky Sports News to give a further update on the situation in his homeland.
When asked if he had personally been involved in any fighting yet, he responded: ‘No, I’m in the city, and, obviously, you see and you hear the explosions, the rockets, you see destroyed vehicles, buildings.
‘It’s absolutely terrifying what actually the war can do. I’m not going to go through all the images, but it’s absolutely terrifying.’
He added: ‘It’s just unimaginable what is actually happening in this country, this beautiful country and city, and its beautiful people.’
Fellow Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk has also taken up arms in the fight against Russia, with the current WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion enlisting in the territorial defence battalion in Kyiv.
Having joined the Ukrainian defence battalion, Usyk now doesn’t know when he will fight Anthony Joshua in their rematch.
He has stated that vehicles and buildings have been destroyed as a result of the invasion
Wladimir has also spoken alone about the scenes he has seen in Ukraine over the past week
‘I really don’t know when I’m going to be stepping back in the ring,’ Usyk told CNN. ‘My country and my honor are more important to me than a championship belt.’
Vasyl Lomachenko, a close friend of Usyk’s and another Ukrainian elite boxer, has also taken to the frontlines, along with former tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky.
As the two Klitschko brothers get ready to defend the capital, Russia managed to capture its first major city in Ukraine after a week of fighting, with Kherson – a regional capital of 300,000 people on the Black Sea – now under the control of Putin’s forces.
Igor Kolykhaiev, the city’s mayor, said in an update around 1am that ‘armed visitors’ had stormed a council meeting and imposed new rules including a strict curfew and urged citizens to follow them. But it was far from clear whether Ukrainian forces had totally withdrawn, with the UK MoD saying Thursday the situation is ‘unclear’.
Oleksandr Usyk (left) has admitted he doesn’t know when he will fight Anthony Joshua again
It comes as a result of Usyk (centre right) enlisting with the Kyiv Territorial Defence following Russia’s invasion of his homeland Ukraine, where he was seen holding a weapon
Usyk doesn’t know when he will defend his four world heavyweight titles again as he insists: ‘My country and my pride are more important to me than a belt’
If Kherson is under full Russian control, then it opens up Odessa – Ukraine’s main port city and primary naval base – to an assault.
Amphibious landing ships were seen forming up off the west coast of Crimea Thursday morning as US officials warned a major assault from the sea could come later in the day.
Meanwhile Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s two largest cities, remained under a heavy bombing campaign overnight with missiles striking civilian areas – including a train station in the Ukrainian capital being used to evacuate people from the city and as a shelter for those who cannot or have chosen not to leave.
Ukraine estimates that 2,000 civilians have been killed in fighting. The UN has confirmed 227 of those but said the true toll is likely far higher. War crimes prosecutors have opened a case into the deaths.
Russian tanks and a military truck are seen rolling through the streets of Kherson on Wednesday
Kherson, a city of 300,000 on the Black Sea, appears to have fallen under Russian control after the mayor said ‘armed visitors’ had taken over a council meeting and imposed curfews. If Putin’s men are in full control then it opens up the city of Odessa, home to Ukraine’s main naval port, to attack – with amphibious assault ships seen forming up near Crimea today
Negotiators from both Ukraine and Russia are set to meet on the border with Belarus today for a second round of talks, after an initial summit on Monday failed to yield any result.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, issued a video address to the nation in the early hours of Thursday, giving an upbeat assessment of the war and calling on Ukrainians to keep up the resistance.
‘We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,’ he said, in the clip posted on social media. ‘They will have no peace here. They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment.’
Zelensky did not comment on whether the Russians have seized several cities, including Kherson. ‘If they went somewhere, then only temporarily. We’ll drive them out,’ he said.
The city of Kherson is seen on Wednesday, with Russian forces seemingly in control. Kherson is the first major city to fall to the Russians
He said the fighting is taking a toll on the morale of Russian soldiers, who ‘go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat.’
He added: ‘These are not warriors of a superpower. These are confused children who have been used,’ while giving the death toll at 9,000 Russian troops.
The US believes the toll is actually around 6,000. Moscow has admitted only 500 deaths.
His assessment of the Russian attack was shared by several US defence analysts who said the campaign had been mismanaged, under-supplied, ineffective, and led to Moscow suffering much-higher casualties in the first few days of fighting than had been anticipated.
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