Russian woman wore Ukraine shield at Olympic opening

Like the other poster bearers, Kutscherova wore a long silver coat with a hood and large black glasses, so she was practically unrecognizable. She only revealed herself more than a week after the incident. “I turned around, I didn’t know what to say to them. I then said that the entire stadium will give them a standing ovation,” Kucherova said, according to the AP.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost four years. Kutscherova, who has lived in Milan for 14 years, 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.

Tears behind the black glasses

At the ceremony, the Ukrainian athletes immediately recognized her as Russian and spoke to her in Russian. “When you walk side by side with these people, you realize that they have every right to feel hatred towards every Russian,” Kutscherova said. It was therefore important to her to show that not everyone thinks that way.

During the big applause for the Ukrainian delegation, she shed a few tears behind her black glasses. She now has concerns that her appearance and her public statements could harm her friends in Russia. “But if I live in a democratic country and enjoy all freedoms and then feel afraid, then that means the regime has won,” Kutscherova said.

Kutscherova also carried the Danish delegation’s poster at the opening ceremony. This also received much applause against the backdrop of the political dispute with the US government over Greenland.