Ukraine. Klitschko was speaking out against Putin as the leader sent Russian forces to take control of Crimea, where they held an illegal referendum to try to lay claim to the land.
Klitschko’s older brother Vitali was also world heavyweight champion before taking office as the Mayor of Kyiv, and he helped lead the opposition to topple Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich in the Maidan Revolution.
The younger Klitschko, who was still an active boxer until he retired following his world title defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2017, called out Putin years before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He warned the president of the consequences of his decision. “You cannot repeat the mistakes of history and there were a lot of mistakes,” Wladimir told reporters when at his training camp in Hollywood. “Every country, every former Soviet republic has its own desire and will to look in the direction they want to look - east, west, south, north.
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