Master of sports and military Larysa Zhalinska left for Russia (photo)
14 January 18:58
Ukrainian athlete Larysa Zhalinska has moved to Moscow and called it a “return to her homeland.” Zhalinska said this in an interview with the propaganda TV channel Russia Today, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
“Many people qualify my actions as an escape to Russia, but I would not consider it an escape. I would call it a return to my homeland, my historical homeland. I am Russian and have always been Russian-speaking,” the athlete said.
She also called her hometown, Prymorsk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, part of the Russian Federation.
In addition, Zhalinska once served in the National Guard. Since the spring of 2024, women in the military have been granted leave with the right to travel abroad, including on tourist vouchers. So Larysa bought a travel voucher to the Czech Republic. She also took out a second passport without notifying her military unit.
“With the help of my friends from Russia, I found carriers that take me from Lviv to Poland, then I used a special chat to find carriers across the Polish-Belarusian border, and with the help of my friends from Russia, I bought a ticket for a plane from Minsk to Moscow,” the athlete said.
What we know about Larysa Zhalinska
Larysa Zhalinska is an international master of sports of Ukraine in rowing. She is a multiple winner of Ukrainian championships, and at the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships she won bronze at the ergometer rowing event.
In 2023, Larysa won five medals at the Ukrainian Cup: three golds in the lightweight singles, lightweight doubles and lightweight quadruple sculls, one silver in the lightweight coxless double sculls, and a bronze in the heavyweight eight.
The athlete is also a multiple winner of the Ukrainian Championships, including two bronze and one silver medal at the last Championships.
