Ukrainian boxing champion is "proud to be Russian", calling Ukrainians "mankurts"

Two-time Ukrainian boxing champion Pavlo Ishchenko (2011, 2012) posted a pro-Russian post on Instagram. The Olympic Games participant (2012), winner (2013) and bronze medallist (2017) of the European Championships posted a story on his account in which he wrote about his pride in being Russian.

"I am proud to be Russian! Shaman is handsome! He gives me goosebumps! Mankurts can't understand! Praise the gods that I am a carrier of Russian culture and language," Pavel captioned a photo of Russian artist Yaroslav Dronov (Shaman's real name).

Ishchenko's profile is not open to the public, but the description is very specific about the boxer's political preferences.

Ishchenko was born 30 years ago in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. He is a graduate of the Kherson boxing school. He played for the Ukrainian national team until 2015.

After his success with the Ukrainian Atamans team, he went to the Olympics in London, where he lost in the first round.

In 2015, Pavlo turned to professional boxing. He managed to fight three fights, ending all three with a victory. In 2017, he played for the Israeli national team at the European Championships, taking third place.

After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, in an interview with Russian propagandists, Ishchenko called on Ukrainian fans not to mix sport with politics, saying that "we have no confrontation between Russians and so-called Ukrainians".

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