During the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan, a Russian woman living in Italy carried the sign of the Ukrainian team. This was reported by AP News, according to UNN.
Details
The publication notes that it is about Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian architect who has been living in Milan for 14 years. She led the Ukrainian athletes' procession into the stadium, holding a sign with the inscription Ukraine.
The article states that initially, the distribution of countries among volunteers was supposed to be random, but later the organizers allowed them to choose the desired country. Kucherova deliberately chose Ukraine, "thus making a symbolic gesture of protest against the war."
During the ceremony, she remained unrecognizable – in a long silver coat with a hood and dark glasses, like other participants. Her citizenship was not publicly announced. The Ukrainian team, which included five athletes, was met with loud applause from the audience.
Later, the woman spoke about her act on social media and in a comment to the Associated Press.
When you walk next to these people, you realize that they have every right to feel hatred towards any Russian. But I think it's important to take at least a small step to show that not everyone thinks the same way.
According to her, "this gesture became a way to remind the world that the war continues, even when life in other countries goes on as usual."