“Of course, what we need most of all is modern weapons. We can defend ourselves with old weapons from old stocks, but new weapons are more efficient,” said Stefanchuk, who came to Germany in military clothes, German DPA News reported.
He reiterated the Ukrainian authorities’ call for Germany to supply heavy weapons, such as the Leopard and Marder combat vehicles, and welcomed Scholz’s announcement on Wednesday about the delivery of heavy weapons, which has not yet materialized.
With this in mind, the President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas Stefanchuk, has pledged Germany’s support. “The Bundestag is on the side of Ukraine. We will continue to support the country with humanitarian, military, financial and diplomatic assistance as best we can,” he said.
Bas: “A sovereign Ukraine is part of a peaceful and democratic Europe”
Bas also stressed that Stefanchuk’s first trip abroad since the Russian invasion began. “A sovereign Ukraine is part of a peaceful and democratic Europe. Your country has the right to choose its path in freedom and peace,” he entrusted to the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament.
For her part, the chair of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Afnes Strack-Zimmermann, has requested that Ukraine be given ammunition as part of a joint NATO effort. “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. It’s old Soviet ammunition,” he told the agency.
“We need a concentrated effort by NATO to deliver ammunition,” he said in response to criticism from the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andri Melnik, of the support provided by the German authorities so far. “If we’re honest, after a hundred days of war not a single piece of heavy equipment has arrived from Germany,” he regretted in statements to ARD.
jov (dpa, daily news)
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Dmytro Pidruchnyi (biathlon)
After returning from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Dmytro Pidruchnyi enlisted in the Ukrainian National Guard to fight in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of his country. The 30-year-old is a former European biathlon champion and took part in two Olympic Games.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Vitaly Klitschko (boxing)
One of the most well-known athletes from Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko, held the heavyweight championship belt in the WBO and WBC in the first decade of the 2000s and successfully defended his title twelve times. He has been the mayor of Kyiv since 2014. At 50, he told AFP he was “ready to take up arms” to defend his homeland.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Wladimir Klitschko (boxing)
Vitali’s brother, Wladimir Klitschko, won the 1996 Olympic gold medal in boxing before winning the IBO, WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. He retired in 2016, but the 45-year-old has joined Ukraine’s army reserves to support the war effort against the Russian invasion, just like his older brother.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Sergei Stakhovsky (tennis)
Former Tour player Sergei Stakhovsky is best known for beating Roger Federer in the second round at Wimbledon in 2013 when he finished 116th. The 36-year-old has returned to Ukraine to join the fighting after Russia invaded the country in late February.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Oleksandr Usyk (boxing)
Usyk is the current unified world heavyweight champion of the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO. The 35-year-old 2012 Olympic champion has joined the Ukrainian army to protect his country. “I don’t want to shoot, I don’t want to kill, but I have no choice,” Usyk was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Oleh Luzhnyi (football)
Former right-back Oleh Luzhnyi won the Premier League and FA Cup with Arsenal in the early 2000s. The 53-year-old has joined the war for his home country. “The situation is terrible,” he told Sky Sports. “I want to come to the UK to train but first and foremost I will stand my ground and fight for my people, my country and democracy.”
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Vasiliy Lomachenko (World Boxing Champion)
One of Ukraine’s top boxers, Lomachenko won two Olympic gold medals at featherweight and lightweight before claiming world titles in three divisions. He won his last fight against Richard Commey in December. The 34-year-old fighter enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fight Russia in his hometown of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyy.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Yuriy Vernydub (football coach)
Vernydub is the coach of Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan team that beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabéu in September 2021. The 56-year-old former defensive midfielder has joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the fight against Russia. From 1997 to 2000 he played in the Russian first division with Zenit Saint Petersburg.
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Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms
Yaroslav Amosov (MMA)
A mixed martial arts expert, Amosov is the reigning Bellator MMA welterweight champion. The 28-year-old has agreed to defend Ukraine, missing his chance to defend his title against Michael Page next May.
