‘Stone F*cking Cold’: Hall-of-Fame Boxer and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Stays in Ukraine to Fight Russia
Hall-of-Fame boxer Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, declared his plans to fight back against Russia’s invasion.
“It’s already a bloody war,” Klitschko said Thursday on Good Morning Britain, noting Ukrainians have already been killed.
Russian military forces invaded Ukraine early Thursday morning. Klitschko and the Ukrainian government quickly declared a state of emergency in response to the attack launched by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.
Asked if he would take up arms and fight against Russia in the streets of Ukraine, the 50-year-old Klitschko didn’t hesitate with his response. “I don’t have another choice. I have to do that. I would fight,” he said.
GMB EXCLUSIVE:
‘I don’t have another choice. I have to do that.’
The Mayor of Kyiv @Vitaliy_Klychko tells @richardgaisford that it is ‘already a bloody war’ and he is prepared to fight for his country. pic.twitter.com/KvoGP5f92C
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 24, 2022
The mayor’s plan to defend the country echoed his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko, who enlisted in Ukraine’s reserve army in Kyiv earlier this month.
“I am writing to you from Kyiv, the capital of a country at war, a country being attacked and invaded from all sides,” the younger Klitschko wrote Thursday. “It is not ‘the war of Ukraine,’ it is Putin’s war.”
The Klitschko brothers are multi-time heavyweight champions of the world who are now fighting for democracy. In addition to his willingness to take up arms in the street, Kyiv’s mayor told Good Morning Britain that residents have weapons and are “now soldiers ready to defend our city…I believe in my country, I believe in my people.”
After the Klitschko brothers declared plans to fight back against Russia, social media reacted with unwavering praise and respect for the legendary boxers as they defend their country.
Stone fuckin cold https://t.co/DE9R5R5zr0
— ❤️ Umair (@umairh) February 25, 2022
HOLY SHIT. SALUTE. https://t.co/QhllVNcQzf
— Uche Nwaneri The Observant Lineman🇺🇦♎ #Snydercut (@Chukwu77) February 25, 2022
Incredibly sad that he has to — but also incredibly badass that he’s going to. https://t.co/IGtZm7K2uo
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) February 25, 2022
A very wealthy man, a politician, who doesn’t send others, who doesn’t flee but rather who takes up arms and fights with his country. God bless this hero and the people of Ukraine. @Klitschko https://t.co/H93vqbHw2k
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) February 25, 2022
If you think the Ghost of Kyiv is gangster af this is Kyiv’s mayor saying he and his brother are going into battle.
For over a decade, the Klitschko brothers dominated heavyweight boxing so hard folks called it the “Klitschko era.” He’s still the longest-ever heavyweight champ. https://t.co/LUcuDLI9zI
— David Josef Volodzko (@davidvolodzko) February 25, 2022
Freedom demands incredible courage. These guys showed it in the ring and now outside of it. https://t.co/GC4QtnBIZ0
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) February 25, 2022
Vitali is Mayor of Kyiv, which is suffering from Russian missile fire. The Klitschko Brothers’ father was a first responder at Chernobyl. Their family has already sacrificed for Ukraine, and clearly, is willing to do so again. https://t.co/N6hJ45dxvM
— Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (@ksvarnon) February 25, 2022
Vitali Klitschko is very wealthy from his time as a professional boxer. He could easily leave the country.
He’s choosing not to.
The president is still there as well.
Even if Ukraine falls, the resolve of it’s citizens is unquestionable. https://t.co/3M4lpiGjja
— Joel (@NobodyEpic) February 24, 2022
