Ukrainian rowing champion Zhalinskaya spoke about moving to Russia

Multiple Ukrainian rowing champion Larisa Zhalinskaya told Izvestia that she moved to Russia because she was forced to join the country's National Guard where her life was in danger.

"I made the choice that was dictated by my heart and the prevailing legal norms," Zhalinskaya said.

She emphasized that she did not betray anyone by leaving the territory of Zaporizhzhya region temporarily occupied by Ukraine and recalled that she always represented her native Zaporizhzhya at competitions.

Zhalinskaya noted that she told her friends from Kiev-controlled territories about the move after she received Russian citizenship. At first, they did not believe it. The champion explained to them that she was forced to join the National Guard of Ukraine, where her life was in danger and there were no more prospects for her in the country, and then her comrades took her move with understanding. At the same time, many Ukrainian friends of the athlete immediately deleted the correspondence, because they are afraid of the consequences of such communication, which are threatened by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Zhalinskaya pointed out that Ukrainian athletes are under great pressure and all their unsportsmanlike behavior is explained by this pressure from the Ukrainian security services. For example, they can publish anti-Russian statements in their social networks and refuse to shake hands with athletes from the Russian Federation at competitions, because without this they will be subjected to reprisals. In particular, they may be sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), deprived of their salaries or made the subjects of criminal cases.

Earlier, on June 28, 2024, MMA fighter from Latvia Konstantin Gluhov, who received Russian citizenship, said that he had been thinking about moving to Russia for 10 years. The athlete emphasized that all his relatives are Russian, and nothing kept him in the Baltic republic.