Ukrainian boxer: My soul belongs to God, my body and my honor belong to my country

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Ussyk and Vasily Lomachenco are friends from childhood, where their dream was always to touch the highest peaks of success and fame, and they achieved it through boxing gloves.

Among them, 35-year-old Usik and 34-year-old Lomachenco have won a total of three Olympic gold medals, and since then they have received the epithet as one of the best boxers in the world.

But now both of these boxers are facing another war, that of their country's existence. Since Russia ordered the entry of military forces into Ukraine on February 24th, Usik and Komachenko have returned to Ukraine, where they have seized arms and joined Ukrainian forces in resistance.

Speaking via a video link for “CNN”, Usik indicated that they should not be protected by Russian soldiers alone, and that he is extremely willing to even kill if necessary.

If they want to kill me, or take the lives of my people, I will have to. But I don't want that. I don't want to shoot, and I don't want to kill anyone, but if anyone wants to kill me, then I won't have a choice”, Usik said.

Maybe it'll sound very sentimental, but my soul belongs to God, and my body and honor belong to the state, my family. So I'm not afraid, absolutely without fear. How can these things happen in the 21st century?

Meanwhile, the manager of the two boxers in question has indicated that Usik and Lomachenco had not expected them to take up arms until they joined the Ukrainian Protection Battalion.