On the long-awaited statements by Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk. Photo: open sources

The legendary boxer Oleksandr Usyk, in a conversation with the “President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki,” made a series of statements in which we seemed to hear the “old” Usyk – the one who has always spoken his mind without hesitation.

He clearly and unambiguously spoke out against the authorities' persecution of the UOC: "This is a problem because I myself am Orthodox. This is a blow to our people. You cannot divide people. We ourselves divide people into two camps. Don't touch people. We should work together, not divide."

Usyk also criticized the authorities' heroization of nationalists, emphasizing that he initially even refused to meet with Zelensky because of this:

"When I directly asked him what he intended to do about it, he replied: 'Bandera is our hero.' This creates a very difficult situation in our countries. Bandera is not my hero. For me, heroes are my father, my mother, people who are now supporting my country." Additionally, Usyk distanced himself from Zelensky, stating that he does not consider him his friend (unlike Nawrocki).

Unfortunately for Oleksandr, these revelations were not made to the President of Poland, but to Russian pranksters acting in his name. But what does that really change? In the conversation, Usyk was clearly saying what he believed. And that raises a question – why does he voice his thoughts not in public speeches, but in private conversations, as if behind closed doors?

Boxing is not a sport for cowards. To step into a ring against men whose single punch could leave you disabled requires extraordinary courage. And a heavyweight world champion cannot possibly lack such courage.

So why does Oleksandr not publicly support the Church at a moment when it so desperately needs that support – and instead lends support to those who persecute it? Why does he speak in defense of Maliuk, who organized the campaign against the UOC, yet remain silent when the authorities seize the Lavra or slowly destroy Metropolitan Arseniy behind bars?

Why finance the Shukhevych museum if he opposes the glorification of nationalists? If he does not consider Zelensky a friend – why present him with championship belts?

We do not believe that Usyk acts this way out of fear of the current authorities. A man who faces fists in the ring is unlikely to tremble before politicians. It seems more probable that considerations of political expediency are at work. After all, in that same conversation, Oleksandr declared that he is ready to become president.

But whom does he now imagine as his electorate? Nationalists and admirers of Shukhevych? Maliuk and other officials of the Security Service? Or perhaps the millions of faithful of the UOC? Not so long ago, they would undoubtedly have supported him. Today – it is a far more troubling question.

The Apostle James wrote in his epistle: "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Perhaps, in such a situation, it could not be said more precisely.

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