German biathlete Erik Lesser uses his reach on Instagram to educate about the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Kontiolahti – Ex-world champion Erik Lesser gave his Ukrainian biathlon colleague Anastasiya Merkuschina his Instagram channel for 24 hours to provide more information on the Ukraine war. “I have 30,000 followers from Russia* on Instagram, and I don’t think the Russian population is very clear about what’s really going on in Ukraine*,” Lesser said on Saturday on ZDF* in the face of a lot of disinformation. “I thought, if I post something now, no one will believe me. But if I get a Ukrainian to do it, then that’s pretty decent.”
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.
War in Ukraine: Biathlete demands reaction from Russian colleagues
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 putting machine guns to the heads of our relatives and friends?” wrote Merkushina. “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.”
On Saturday, Lesser had around 118,000 followers on Instagram, on Sunday there were already 137,000. Because of an aid campaign for a Russian biathlete, there were also many from the largest country in the world. But after his solidarity actions, a third of the Russians have now unfollowed him, and he received negative comments from some. 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. He thanked the Russian fans who still follow him. “You are the silent resistance. Do your best to be heard,” he wrote Sunday. (dpa/red) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
