Many Ukrainians woke up in the early hours of Sunday, this time not to dodge Russian missiles but to celebrate Ukrainian boxers Alexander Usyk Become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Usyk’s victory over British boxer Tyson Fury is a rare piece of good news for the beleaguered country. Efforts to contain Russia’s advancesEspecially in the northeast, where Moscow opened a new front.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the victory as a symbol of Ukraine’s resilience.
“The Ukrainians hit hard!” Mr Zelensky wrote in one article telegram post It included a photo of Mr Usyk punching Mr Fury around 3am. “Eventually, all of our opponents will be defeated.”
Ukrainian troops are currently fighting fierce battles on the front lines to stem Russia’s onslaught, and there are fears some key positions could soon fall. Russian troops have recently pushed deeper into the southern village of Robtan, one of the rare successes in Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive last summer.
Faced with such a grim outlook, many Ukrainians watched the game hoping a victory would lift their spirits.
“This victory is very good for our morale,” Valentyna Polishchuk, 54, said on Sunday in the capital Kiev. “The situation in our country is not good, but at least this is a good thing.”
Major Ilya Yevlash, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that “there is no doubt” that Usyk’s victory “affects the morale of all Ukrainians, and we urgently need such a victory now!”
Many Ukrainian public figures, including former President Petro Poroshenko and former heavyweight world champion Kiev Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, took part in the celebrations, portraying the victory as a sign of Ukraine’s ability to defeat the mighty Opponent’s evidence.
On Sunday, another Ukrainian boxer, Dennis Belinchikwon the lightweight world championship, adding to the festive atmosphere.
“We must do everything possible to ensure that our next victory is our great victory,” Poroshenko wrote. Facebook.
With Sunday’s victory, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly a quarter of a century. He fought Mr Fury in a hard-fought 12-round fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and emerged victorious.
The similarities between Ukraine’s grueling war and Russia’s are not lost on Ukrainians. “Here, every strike could change the course of the battle,” Major Yevlash said.
Several Ukrainians said on Sunday they hoped Usyk’s victory would show the world that Ukraine is still capable of winning.
“I’m very proud that Oleksandr won this award. It’s very important,” said Fedir Ilarionov of Kyiv. He stood in St. Michael’s Square in the center of the capital, where Ukrainian authorities displayed Russian armored vehicles that had been destroyed and captured on the battlefield.
Pavlo Velichko, a Ukrainian lieutenant who guards Ukraine’s northeastern border, struck a more realistic tone.
“This is great, positive news for Ukraine,” he said in a telephone interview. “But our most important victories happen every day on the battlefield. This is where the Ukrainian nation and the world focus.”
