Nationalists threaten Usyk over support for Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

Heavyweight boxing world champion Oleksandr Usyk

The leader of the "Bratstvo" party, Dmytro Korchynskyi, has threatened the world boxing champion with a "Kalashnikov bullet," while a former fighter of the "Donbas" battalion promised to "smash his head." These threats have been posted on social media and made in media statements.

Commenting on the boxer’s intention to defend the brethren of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, D. Korchynskyi told the FAN news agency: "Ukrainian nationalists rarely visit boxing gyms; they more often go to shooting ranges. I can tell you from personal experience: a bullet fired from a Kalashnikov rifle flies faster than the fist of any boxer."

He also posted threats on his Facebook page.

Another radical, former Donbas battalion fighter Oleh Dub, wrote on his Facebook page: "Usyk said he would defend the Lavra from us?! Does he think everything will follow the rules, with a referee, breaks between rounds, and a knockout count?! Here, even a champion could end up with a smashed head."

As previously reported by the UOJ, heavyweight boxing world champion Oleksandr Usyk stated on the "112 Ukraine" channel that if an attempt were made to seize the Lavra, he would stand in defense of the monastery and its residents.

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