Russian woman wears Ukraine shield at Olympics

The Russian architect Anastasia Kutscherova, who has lived in Italy for a long time, had previously made it public that she had led the Ukrainian delegation to the San Siro Stadium as a poster bearer during the opening ceremony of the Nations Parade. “The Ukrainian team was not informed of the decision to have a national of the country waging war against Ukraine lead them at such an important event,” said an X-post from the Ukrainian state fundraising initiative.

Kutscherova had volunteered for the Winter Games. When the choreographer of the opening ceremony asked whether one of the posters would particularly like to accompany one of the nations, Kutscherova said she chose Ukraine – and was awarded the contract.

Organizers: “Can’t check every single person”

A spokesman for the Italian organizing committee said they only found out about the Russian woman’s background through recent media reports. “There were around 1,200 volunteers who were supposed to make the opening ceremony unique. We cannot check every single one,” said Luca Casassa. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “I have little to say about it. In my view, there is no problem with someone wearing a sign.”

Like the other poster bearers, Kutscherova wore a long silver coat with a hood and large black glasses, so she was practically unrecognizable. Behind her, the Ukrainian flag bearer Jelyzaveta Sydorko and some of her teammates ran into the legendary football arena.

The Russian expressed sympathy for Ukraine, which has been resisting a Russian invasion for almost four years. “When you walk side by side with these people, you realize that they have every right to feel hatred towards every Russian,” Kucherova told the AP news agency. It was therefore important to her to show that not everyone thinks that way.