An unexpected but very touching scene was observed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics at the San Siro stadium in Milan. Russian Anastasia Kucherova wrote on her Instagram page that she carried the Ukrainian national team's sign during the ceremony. She also openly explained her decision in an interview with the Associated Press.
According to the girl, when you walk side by side with Ukrainian athletes, you understand even more deeply that they have the right to have strong feelings towards any Russian. Nevertheless, she considered it important to take at least a small step to show that "not all people think the same way."
AP found out that Kucherova has not been to Russia since 2018, and has been living in Milan for 14 years, where she works as an architect. The most interesting thing is that it was she who initiated the lifting of the Ukrainian team's plaque. First, the countries were to be randomly distributed among the volunteers, and then the choreographer asked who would like to perform with which country - at that time, the girl who was born in Russia chose Ukraine.
At the ceremony, Kucherova walked in front in a long silver down jacket, carrying the plaque, and five Ukrainian athletes walked behind her. Among them were skater Elizaveta Sidorko and figure skater Kirill Marsak. According to the text, the fathers of both athletes are currently at the front.
According to Kucherova, before performing, the athletes noticed that she was Russian and addressed her in Russian. She took this as a sign of the “deep connection” between Russians and Ukrainians, and said that this connection could have been preserved if there had been no war. At that moment, she turned around, not knowing what to say, and then simply said that the entire stadium was giving them a standing ovation. She also admitted that when the audience greeted the team with cheers, she could not help but cry, trying to hide her tears behind large dark glasses.
At the same time, Kucherova emphasized that she understood that her words could harm not Ukraine, but her acquaintances in Russia. However, she explained her position as follows: if a person living in a democratic state and enjoying freedoms is afraid, then the regime has achieved its goal.
This incident showed how, in addition to victory and defeat in sports, the choice inside a person can sometimes have a strong “resonance”. Some call it a “small step,” others call it a “big gesture” — but this scene will still be discussed for a long time.
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