Baku 12° C
https://static.report.az/photo/b5fcfafc-e773-3ecd-9cdc-e438ffeabcc6.jpg
"A lot of terrible things are happening in Ukraine. It's much scarier than any movie."
This is how Azerbaijani judoka of Ukrainian origin Iryna Kindzerska describes what her home country, Ukraine, is going through.
Iryna is a bronze-winner of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games in the weight category over 78 kg.
In her interview to Report, the 31-year-old athlete noted that explosions are heard in all corners of Ukraine: "Helicopters, rockets, drones are flying overhead. Our loved ones are dying. Our neighbor was killed when he walked down the street with his son. They were buried in the park. Our other neighbor left the city the day after me. Fortunately, everyone survived. People are trying to save their lives, not thinking about what might happen. My friend also came under fire with her two-year-old daughter and husband."
Iryna said that Russia does not follow the rules of war: "They thought they would occupy Ukraine for 24 hours, but it seems that they failed. After that, they began destroying everything around - houses, people, pregnant women, children. You can't open fire when preparing a green corridor for the evacuation of people, but Russia is acting against everyone and everything. The civilian population is under fire. They (the Russian troops - ed.) destroy everything around them, ignoring principles and norms."
"Putin thought that the whole world would be afraid of Russia. But the Ukrainian people show strong resistance. We will never allow our country to be enslaved by Russia. Men take their families out and return to defend their homeland. Putin did not expect such resistance from the Ukrainian people. But he cannot take a step back. I think the fighting will continue. The enemy wants us to lay down our arms and compromise. We will not let them. Ukraine is our Motherland, and we will fight to the end. We did not attack them; we defend our home. This is not a special operation at all, as Putin claims," Kindzerska said.
