Ukrainian Wimbledon star condemns Putin’s troops after seeing aftermath of Bucha massacre
A Ukrainian tennis star has condemned Russian troops after seeing the horror in Bucha, saying: “The things they did there, they can’t be human.”
Sergiy Stakhovsky, who was ranked No. 31 in the world and played the Australian Open in January, joined the Ukrainian army when Vladimir Putin launched his invasion.
He was deployed to the northern suburbs of the capital kyiv, where he saw the horrific consequences of the Russian occupation.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he said: ‘At first they asked me what I would do if I saw a Russian soldier, how I would react, if I would shoot. And honestly, I didn’t know.
“But having been to this place, I can say I wouldn’t hesitate.”
Sergiy Stakhovsky, who was ranked No. 31 in the world and played at the Australian Open in January, joined the Ukrainian army when Vladimir Putin launched his invasion
The 36-year-old added: ‘The things they did there, they can’t be human. You haven’t seen half of what’s real on your TV. They are sadists, they are not human.
“It’s one thing when someone presses a button 200 kilometers away and the missile lands on a train station, killing children. It’s another thing when someone points a gun at a child’s head and shoots or burns the bodies of the women he raped.
Stakhovsky is part of a security team deployed with a prosecutor searching for evidence of Russian war crimes, and the tool of his trade is now more likely to be a British-supplied anti-tank missile launcher than ‘a tennis racket. “We are very grateful to Britain for the military support,” he said.
“Britain stood out. I trained on the NLAW (new generation light anti-tank missile), although I didn’t shoot it. It helped us stop the Russians. I was in a unit shooting them. The success rate was extremely high.
When asked if he had seen any enemy soldiers killed, he replied, “I prefer not to comment.” But he acknowledges the impact of the past two months. ‘These images [from Bucha] will stay with me for a long time… I hope that I will be able to give it up.
Patrolling Kyiv and other cities couldn’t be more different from Center Court at Wimbledon, where he beat famed defending champion Roger Federer in 2013, ending the Swiss player’s record streak of 36 consecutive Grand Grand quarter-finals. Slam.
He was deployed to the northern suburbs of the capital kyiv, where he saw the horrific consequences of the Russian occupation.
“I went to Kharkiv for three nights as an escort. It was very different from kyiv, there was shelling and bombs landing 500 meters away and the building was shaking,” he said.
“At first there was fear, but it’s strange how you can get used to war, you can get used to anything. You know a rocket can land anywhere in the country. I played tennis in Kharkiv and heard bombs going off – it was different. Professional tennis seems far away now. It’s surreal.
Stakhovsky had a break to spend time with his wife and children in Hungary, but he has now returned to western Ukraine and will visit kyiv this week, where he is organizing shipments of body armor, gloves and boots.
He was surprised when the All England Club controversially announced that they were banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament.
Patrolling kyiv and other cities could hardly be more different from center court at Wimbledon, where he beat famed defending champion Roger Federer in 2013.
“I can’t say it was a happy reaction, but it’s something that I think should be done,” he said. “During the first two weeks of the war, I was more relaxed about it, thinking that each individual should be judged by their position. But we know how Russian troops behave in occupied cities.
“We know what they can do – massacres, rapes, tortures. So I’m sorry, I now have a different point of view.
When the war started, he received messages from other players, including Russians who confided in him that they privately opposed Putin’s invasion.
Former Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky talks to AFP journalists at Independence Square in Kyiv
“During the first two weeks I received a lot of messages. Almost all of them privately said that they were against the war. At first I replied to all players, but then the messages became overwhelming.’
It’s perhaps unsurprising, given what he witnessed in Bucha, now synonymous with Russian barbarism, that his sympathy for the Russians and Belarusians he once shared a changing room with has evaporated.
Urging them to speak up, he said: ‘You can’t be neutral. If they’re afraid of financial repercussions or spending a night in jail, well I’m sorry, that’s still better than a rocket landing on your doorstep.