Boxer Oleksandr Usyk made a statement about the use of the Russian language in Ukraine. His words are given in the Telegram channel Obozrevatel.
The athlete considered that it was impossible to force people to speak Ukrainian, since some of the country’s inhabitants speak only Russian. “We should not condemn such people… No need to knock on the forehead and say that you are speaking incorrectly or that you are not a real Ukrainian,” he added.
Usyk has won all 20 fights in his career. He holds the WBO, International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organization (IBO) and WBA Super heavyweight championship belts.
Usyk is a native of Simferopol. Earlier, he said that he uses Russian in everyday life, as he grew up in the Crimea, where most of the population communicates in Russian. At the same time, the boxer noted that Ukrainian is the language of his parents and ancestors.