UFC fighter Paulo Costa's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been met with backlash. Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine in February after a build-up of tension between the two countries.
Over 20,000 civilians have since been feared to be dead in the city of Mariupol whilst other residents attempt to flee the cities of Kyiv and Svyatoshynskyi.
Nations have responded to Putin's actions by freezing the assets of a number of oligarchs linked to the Russian leader. In the meantime, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that negotiations with the country have gone well, as reported by The Mirror.Costa, a former UFC title challenger, recently slammed the US and French Presidents as "weak leaders" whilst praising Putin despite his actions as of late.
Costa took to Twitter to state: "Vladimir Putin is not a weak leader like Biden or Macron. He is an ex-military man who was once stabbed in the belly and survived.
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