Biathlete Erik Lesser provides Ukrainian Instagram account

Updated on 06/03/2022 08:05

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• Former world champion Erik Lesser has left his Instagram account to his Ukrainian colleague Anastasiya Merkuschina.
• Lesser has many Russian followers and he wants to provide more clarification on the Russia-Ukraine war.
• “I want to show you the war with my own eyes,” Merkushina posted.

You can find more news about the war in Ukraine here

Former world champion Erik Lesser has his Ukrainian biathlon colleague Anastasiya Merkuschina for 24 hours left his Instagram channel, to ensure more reconnaissance in the Ukraine war. “I have 30,000 followers from Russia on Instagram, and I don’t think the Russian people really understand what’s really going on in Ukraine,” Lesser said on ZDF in the face of a lot of disinformation. “And I thought, if I post something now, no one will believe me. But if I get a Ukrainian to do it, then it’s really something.”

And so, after Russia’s invasion of her homeland, Merkushina posted photos from the war zone on Saturday. You could see the destruction and the suffering of the people. “I want to show them the war with my own eyes. In times of information wars, it’s hard to find the truth, so I asked my friends to send me pictures they took,” Merkushina wrote.

The 27-year-old, who has already won four World Cup medals, also appealed to Russian athletes who have not yet commented on the war or complained about being excluded from competitions. “You are outraged by the ban, but how can you compete when your country is pointing machine guns at our relatives and friends?” Merkushina wrote. “You know exactly what is happening and your silence is costing dozens of lives. Ukrainian athletes are taking up arms to defend their country – and you are afraid of the truth.”

Also read: Duma approves high penalties for “fake news” about the Russian military

Lesser had around 118,000 followers on the social network on Saturday. Because of an aid campaign for a Russian biathlete, there are particularly many from the largest country in the world. Lesser immediately received negative comments from some for his solidarity actions. Among other things, it was said that he should not spread fake news. The 33-year-old wanted to use his reach “so that more people in Russia could get real news,” said Lesser at the World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland. “I hope that I can get two or three others who can report from Ukraine. I hope that will bring something.”
© dpa