"They are hostages": Russian Olympic champion says Ukrainians are forcing Maguchikh to "say nasty things" about Russia

Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova called Ukrainian Yaroslava Maguchikh's statements about Russian aggression the result of pressure from her compatriots. The State Duma deputy believes that the athlete is being forced to "say nasty things" about Russia, which has invaded our country and is killing its civilians.

Zhurova said this in a commentary to the Russia Today propaganda agency. She did not believe in the sincerity of Maguchikh's words, and also spoke about the alleged harassment of the athlete by Ukrainians and sports officials for her photo with Russian Maria Lasitskene at the 2020 Olympics.

• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MAGUCHIKH - "I called my dad in hysterics": two explosions in Dnipro woke up the world champion and forced her to flee the house with her diary and cat

"I can't condemn the statements of Ukrainian athlete Yaroslava Maguchikh in any way, because they are hostages of the situation. They simply cannot remain silent and not express such nasty things about us. They are under enormous pressure, and Ukrainian leaders will force her to do so. Moreover, she has a little something to prove: at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Maguchikh was photographed on the podium with Maria Lasitskene. She was harassed by everyone who could, the whole of Ukraine condemned her and laughed at her. For simply taking a picture with her idol. And now she is forced to say such things," Zhurova said.

Earlier, Maguchikh spoke out against Ukraine's boycott of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and called for everything to be done to prevent Russians and Belarusians from competing.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, on 25 June, Yaroslava Maguchikh, who holds the unofficial title of the most beautiful athlete in Ukraine, won gold at the 2023 European Games in Krakow. She spoke harshly of her Russian rival Maria Lasitskene for her silence about the war. Later, the Russian representative tearfully announced the end of her international career.

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