The Klitschko brothers talked to Piers Morgan is not censored in Ukraine about their fight for their country.
In a candid joint interview with boxing legends Wladimir and Vitali, the Mayor of Kyiv, hinted at being away from family; stand up to bullies like Putin and the horrors they have witnessed since the start of the invasion. Refusing to punch, they considered the war a genocide and said they had never seen so many corpses before.
The couple admit they talk daily and Wladimir joked: “If he needs a hug, I’ll give him one.”
While fighting the war to protect their homeland and their lives in Kyiv, the brothers explained:
Vitali: Right now, it’s been 150 days, I feel like it’s been a long, long, long day. Constantly challenge…
Wladimir: First of all I want to say thank you Mr. Morgan, but you came here because not everyone makes this decision. Understand you have to take into account it could be your last trip. You are not safe on Ukrainian soil due to Russian aggression, even though they are south and east, Russian military forces and ongoing wars. But just recently, like yesterday, we can hear the explosions of firecrackers, see death, see devastation, see buildings, residential areas, residential area buildings burned. Civilians, children, and teenagers were tortured and killed. They’ve been on the ground for at least 10 days, you can see those bodies have been lying there for a long time. That’s unacceptable in your mind… I’ve never been to war. I have never seen so many people die at once. It just makes you feel like you’re having a bad dream… And having life right now in a city seems normal. Normally you can’t call because you see the obstacles and they see more of the military presence and you see a certain energy and vibe in the people. And only recently the city has been empty. The city of 5 million people before the war, suddenly became empty in early March. No cars, no people, no life.
Regarding the scenes they witnessed on the streets of Bucha, they added:
Wladimir: Horror… your mind really can’t work because it’s just inhuman… You see crushed cars and with crushed children, you see bodies in cars crushed flattened but the tanks. You see people, on their knees and hands tied behind their backs. The teenager, I don’t know how young, was shot in the head and executed. You see corpses everywhere among the houses on the street… everywhere. It’s like a huge amount of silent death. But it was also shocking with the devastation around the city.
Vitali: [Russia] need Ukrainian territory. But they don’t need the population… They want to kill everyone. They want to take the territory and they want to kill the people… In Bucha, I will never forget these images… an old woman, a woman, over 70 years old, shot, killed… Just an explanation is not is that it is not war that is genocide.
Of compatriots who stayed to fight and asked for guns, they said:
Vitali: Yes, I am very proud to be Ukrainian because the Russians attacked and destroyed cities and they hoped the people would panic. They think people will get depressed. Instead, the people are angry and there will be a great will to protect our city, our home, our family… our wishes. [was] become part of the European family to build a modern European country. The Russians never accepted our wish. And Putin wants to rebuild the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Everyone must clearly understand that. The reason for this senseless war is… we see our future as part of the European family which is the free country Democratic Ukraine and we fight now for the future, for the country. ours, for our children. We don’t want to live in a country with no human rights, no freedom of the press, no democracy…”
As for why Russian propaganda wouldn’t work in the modern age, they added:
Wladimir: I believe that in Soviet times it was easier to hide the truth. Now it’s more complicated due to globalism and internet, and different sources where people can get information and make their own choices. It’s complicated and complicated, but we’ve found that over the past decade or so, the propaganda system in Russia has been well-prepared and well-functioning. Not only in Russia, but in the rest of the world, because the Russian state-sponsored media today are even still spreading messages…sick lies… but the Russian propaganda won’t have good results you can’t hide the truth for too long. You can’t and it’s only a matter of time. I just wish this period wouldn’t last too long.”
When they were separated from their families to fight, they admitted:
Vitali: Yes, we got the rest of the family to safety… Quite a long time ago, six months ago.. Thanks to technology, we did video conferencing. [calls]. We talk every day… It’s hard. But Wladimir is here watching my back.
Wladimir: If he needs a hug, I give him one, or vice versa.
As for whether they are willing to die for their country, they added:
Wladimir: The simplest thing you can do is die for your country. You know what the most complicated is? Direct. That means fighting for life, protecting your people, defending your country… you feel like you’re running to your death, so to speak, just to end the misery this suffering. But there is no strong point, for us Ukrainians, that we don’t want to die even though so many people have been killed or raped. And now still putting life on the line but living for your country is more complicated and more challenging… We are strong, we survive and we fight for a choice.
On why war is a threat to Europe, Vitali said:
This war can move everyone… Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Europe, and instability in Ukraine can bring instability to the entire region. And please don’t forget Ukraine has five nuclear plants, one of which is one of the largest nuclear plants, the largest in Ukraine has burned down… [it could be] bigger than the Chernobyl disaster. This war can touch everyone on the planet.
The brothers showed Piers a jar of coins donated by a six-year-old boy to help the war effort and Ukrainian children. Vitali added: “I want to give this money back to this boy when the war is over…small boy, big heart.”
In one of the most traumatic events they witnessed was a young boy who didn’t know he had lost both his parents.
On why they have to ‘bully, bully’ Putin and resist Russian aggression:
Wladimir: I believe there are similarities with Nazi Germany… because [the Russian people] they are victims of circumstances and they are scared to death, saying anything against the will of their government. So in a way is it the Western world, fear, fear or cowardice…
So ‘bully, bully’ – that’s the saying we have in boxing. Do you have a gloved opponent and if you are going to let him do whatever he wants to do? He’s really good at doing whatever he wants to do… You have to bully the bully. If you take a step back, you only make the bully stronger.
The two brothers talk to each other every day. Vitali joked that he was told to take care of his younger brother from the start. As for whether they fought as children, they said:
Wladimir: No, no. I’m smart enough to realize that when he’s 5 years younger, I’m 15, I’m 10, what are the chances? So I’ve been waiting!
Vitali: I mean, if he’s right now it’s not a good idea to fight the little brother. He’s strong enough.
They concluded:
Wladimir: I’ll be very honest, obviously family and all that personal stuff shouldn’t be made public. But I will say that this fight shows that as well as three years of being an athlete focusing on agility, coordination and endurance is important. Principles in family life, in sports, in politics, and in war. These equalitys are what we Ukrainians are… and we Ukrainians are up to the challenge and we, the free world, will stand with Ukraine against this aggression and show that what good will always triumph over evil… Please we need so, so, so much support.
Vitali: Because we are fighting and protecting not only our families, our children. We are defending the free world. What we have, we fight for each of you.
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