Wladimir Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion, has joined Ukraine’s reserve army, claiming that his love for his homeland forced him to serve.
Klitschko, the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in history, and his brother Vitali, who dominated the boxing world for nearly a decade, joined the reserve army on February 2.
Ukraine has been prepared for a possible military invasion after Russia amassed hundreds of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s borders in recent weeks, despite Moscow’s denials.On Wednesday, Wladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, attended the opening of a Territorial Defense Forces recruitment center in the city.
“My little kid attends school in a different district. Because the ambassadors have sent the family home, the school is currently closed “Wladimir Klitschko added, referring to some embassies’ partial pullback.
“It is out of love for my city, my home, my family, my neighbors, and my daughter that I have taken this initiative and am now participating in this territorial defense.”
According to his brother, Mayor Klitschko, a diplomatic solution to the Russian dispute is favoured. “If that is not the case, we must prepare to take up arms and defend the country,” he warned.
Both brothers have a large following base in Germany, where they spent part of their fighting careers.
Last week, Mayor Klitschko joined a lengthy list of Ukrainian critics of Berlin for refusing to deliver armaments to assist Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
“I would say I am grateful to Germany,” he remarked in German, “because no other country – and we are usually very critical – has invested as much in Ukraine as Germany has in the last several years.”
“Germany is first, followed by all the other countries that helped.”