Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, a former world heavyweight champion boxer, pledged Wednesday to “defend” the city if warnings of a potential invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces come true.
“We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. We hope it does not happen,” Klitschko told journalists Wednesday.
“But if aggressors come to our country we don’t have any choice, we have to defend our city, our country, our future.”
Klitschko along with his brother, fellow champion boxer Wladimir, visited a recruitment center in central Kyiv for volunteers willing to take up arms if the city is attacked.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko speaks during visit to a volunteers recruitment center in Kiev on February 2, 2022 (Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
Wladimir Klitschko signed up for the territorial defense, insisting he wanted to “protect” his family, friends and relatives. “There are two ways — you can run or you can face the challenge. So my choice was to face the challenge.”
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