"You've forgotten where you're from": Ukrainian fencer tells about threats from Russia

Olena Kryvytska, a fencer from Ternopil, often faces threats from Russians who remind her of her place of birth, Rostov. The 37-year-old fencer always notes that she considers herself exclusively Ukrainian, and remembers little about life in the aggressor country.

Kryvytska told about this in an interview with sport24.ua. The 2009 Universiade winner noted that the Russians were especially outraged by Olena's refusal to shake hands with Maya Guchmazova at the European Championships last year, when our compatriot ignored the athlete from Vladikavkaz, who joined the Georgian national team.

"I like it when people write: "You've forgotten where you're from," alluding to my place of birth. Or when I see a headline in a newspaper that says 'Russian woman didn't shake hands with Russian woman'. This only makes me laugh. That was the Soviet Union. When it collapsed, our family returned to Ukraine. I was four years old at the time. I don't remember anything about life in Russia at all. After graduating from the institute, my father was sent to work at a factory there, and that's how my parents ended up in the Yaroslavl region. My father is from Volyn, and my mother was born in Kharkiv. We are Ukrainians," Kryvytska said.

It should be noted that after our compatriot's action at the continental championships, Guchmazova demanded that Ukrainian rivals not participate in international competitions during the war.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Ukrainian fencer Yulia Bakastova will not boycott fights against Russian athletes at international tournaments.

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