Ukraine badminton duo’s world championship pride amid Russia conflict
Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr showing country is ‘fighting, believing and growing’, after pair forced to leave homeland for careers
For Ukrainian shuttlers Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr, competing at the ongoing World Championships in New Delhi is a way to showcase the resilience of a country battling its invasion by Russia.
Lives have been turned upside down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and, as for many of her compatriots, the conflict remains an everyday reality for Buhrova.
“It’s still really, really bad,” the Kharkiv-born player told reporters.
“It’s really hard, but that also gives me a lot of power and I’m really proud to represent my country as a fighter, and show how Ukraine is fighting, believing and growing.”