Dhe former world champion Erik Lesser gave his Ukrainian biathlon colleague Anastasiya Merkuschina his Instagram channel for 24 hours to provide more information on the Ukraine war.
“I have 30,000 followers from Russia on Instagram, and I don’t think the Russian people really understand what’s really going on in Ukraine,” Lesser said on ZDF in the face of a lot of disinformation. “And I thought, if I post something now, no one will believe me. But if I get a Ukrainian to do it, then that’s really something.”
“Show the war with my eyes”
And so, after Russia’s invasion of her homeland, Merkuschina posted photos from the war zone on Saturday. You could see the destruction and the suffering of the people. “I want to show them the war with my own eyes. In times of information wars, it’s hard to find the truth, so I asked my friends to send me pictures they took,” Merkushina wrote.
The 27-year-old, who has already won four World Cup medals, also appealed to Russian athletes who have not yet commented on the war or complained about being excluded from competitions. “You are outraged by the ban, but how can you compete when your country is putting machine guns to the heads of our relatives and friends?” wrote Merkushina. “You know exactly what is happening and your silence is costing dozens of lives. Ukrainian athletes are taking up arms to defend their country – and you are afraid of the truth.”
Lesser had around 118,000 followers on the social network on Saturday. Because of an aid campaign for a Russian biathlete, there are particularly many from the largest country in the world. Lesser immediately received negative comments from some for his solidarity actions. Among other things, it was said that he should not spread fake news.
The 33-year-old wanted to use his reach “so that more people in Russia could get real news,” said Lesser at the World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland. “I hope that I can win over two or three others who can report from the Ukraine. I hope that brings a little something. “
