Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, said Thursday he plans to fight against Russia’s invasion, which began in the day’s early hours.
“It’s already a bloody war,” Klitschko said on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.” “I don’t have another choice. I have to do that. I would fight.”
Meanwhile, his brother Wladimir, also a former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, has returned to his home country to join the reserves.
“Now, the Russian president [Vladimir Putin] is using war rhetoric … he makes it clear that he wants to destroy the Ukrainian state and the sovereignty of its people,” Wladimir Klitschko wrote on Linkedin on Thursday. “Words are followed by missiles and tanks. Destruction and death come upon us. … We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy.”
Though boxing is not on his mind, Wladimir says the sport had helped him face this moment.
“It has helped me to be calm and mentally prepared,” he said, “And it helps me to help others who are panicking and nervous.”