"Why should I learn the language of my enemies?" Russian MMA fighter makes confession about his attitude to the US

Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Alexander Shlemenko has admitted that he refused to learn English at school because of his harsh attitude towards the United States. The athlete noted that he considered Americans and Europeans to be Russia's enemies, as this was constantly imposed on him.

Shlemenko said this in an interview with Sport-Express. The fighter considered his position to be principled, but over the years he realised that everyone needs to learn foreign languages to broaden their horizons, opportunities for communication and worldview.

"You need to learn English because it is the world language now. For some reason, I grew up all my life on the subconscious... I perceived America as an enemy, and I didn't learn English at school on purpose because of this. That is, I didn't learn it and didn't want to. I thought it was not my native language, and why should I learn the language of the enemy? And then I regretted it when I grew up. You see, the more languages you know, the more opportunities it gives you to broaden your horizons, opportunities for communication," Shlemenko said.

Earlier, he said that "Russia has been living under occupation" by the West for many years and called the war against Ukraine "an opportunity to free itself".

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Muhammad Mokayev demanded not to be represented as a Russian and diagnosed the Russian Federation.

Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!