Russian athletes 'need to pick a side'

For now, Olena Kryvytska is safe. Unlike many of her compatriots, the Ukrainian fencer has not fled the country. She has remained to support her family, and she intends to stay in her homeland for as long as possible. Speaking to DW by video link, the 35-year-old has called on Russian athletes to raise their voices and draw attention to the war.

DW: Olena, how are you and how is your family?

Olena Kryvytska: The situation isn't easy. It's not just hard for me and my family, but for everyone in Ukraine. But we're trying to remain calm. That's the best thing we can do. If we descend into panic, we won't be able to make decisions. We have to try and keep a cool head.

What has the last week been like for you, since Russia invaded Ukraine?

February 23 was my birthday. The following morning, I was woken at 6 a.m. by my husband. In 15 minutes, we packed all our essentials together and got in the car with our two dogs to drive to a safer place. The noise of the explosions was very loud. It was a very precarious situation. We've left our house, our home, behind and we'll probably never see it again.

Over 1 million people have already fled the country. Are you going to leave Ukraine, too?

I have friends abroad messaging me every day and offering help. So we could leave the country. But I want to stay here. My family are here, my parents are here. I'm going to stay here as long as possible.

'Our soldiers are heroes'

What do you think about the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion?

Our soldiers are heroes. They are fighting so bravely. They are simply heroes. Just like all the other people who are trying to help each other survive in the occupied regions. Overnight, we've all become one, and that's so important. We're fighting for each other as one big family.

The Russian troops are doing terrible things. They're cutting people in cities off from food and water. Many people are suffering and don't know what they should eat or drink. It's not army against army, it's an army against civilians.

Many athletes are trying to draw attention to the situation in Ukraine...

Yes, many are using their media contacts or social media to tell the world the truth about our situation. Maybe some Russians will also see these messages and understand what this war is like. Our entire country is destroyed. I can't imagine how many years it will take to rebuild everything.

What more do people need to understand that it's war? Children are dying here, 6-year-olds and 10-year-olds are being murdered. Are they the enemy? When I see videos like that, I just have to cry. I don't understand how human beings can do such things.

'Russian athletes need to pick a side'

Do you have a message to your fellow athletes from Russia?

They need to pick a side. Too many are keeping quiet and saying nothing. That's not acceptable because they're involved; they belong to Russia. If they have a lot of followers on Instagram, they have to speak out and say that they are on the side of peace and that their president is doing terrible things.

I understand that they might be scared for their own lives but, if they do nothing, then they're guilty by association.

What do you expect in the coming days?

That's a difficult question. I hope to wake up each day. And I hope to wake up without war. But it's complicated. We're fighting for our lives, for a chance to have a good life in our country, like we did before the war. Sometimes I wake up in the night because I hear the sirens. And everything could change in the blink of an eye.

So I can't answer the question. I just hope it all ends soon. And I hope I can stay in our county. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to live in Ukraine with my family.

Olena Kryvytska is a Ukrainian fencer and three-time world championship bronze medalist: Moscow in 2015 (team), Leipzig in 2017 and Budapest in 2019 (individual). She lives in Ukraine with her husband, and turned 35 the day before the Russian invasion.

The interview was conducted by Thomas Klein and translated from German by Matt Ford