Olympic Winner From Ukraine: Lukashenka And His Security Forces Are Racketeer Group That Seized Power

Stanislav Horuna is speaking about Belarus, war, and corruption.

Stanislav Horuna is a very famous karateka from Ukraine. He is the bronze winner of the Tokyo Olympics, and holds a number of awards from other top tournaments. For example, the native of Lviv won the 2021 European Championship and was a bronze medalist at the 2014 World Championship (we are talking about personal performances). Horuna's interests go far beyond sports, and in the future he would like to become the president of Ukraine, about which he talks calmly and confidently. We talked about the war, Belarusians, corruption and the European Games in Minsk, Zerkalo writes.

“Business”, help, pension

— Can one get used to war?

— You can only adapt to some extent. This is a critical situation and a new reality in which we live. The time when, instead of the development of the country and personal growth, there’s a pain in your brain about something completely different. And so the situation depends on the specific region. You know yourself: somewhere there are military operations, somewhere people regularly hide in bomb shelters, somewhere it’s relatively calm. There are Ukrainians for whom nothing has changed, but there are many who have lost everything: health, relatives and friends, home. I know that at the beginning of the war there were situations when some, under the guise of volunteering, stole humanitarian aid that came from abroad. Conscience allowed them to profit from the grief of other Ukrainians. There are still local officials who steal the budgetary funds allocated for the army. Therefore, everything is relative.

— In your native Lviv, according to the stories of the Ukrainians themselves, since the beginning of the war, prices for apartments have been raised.

— I heard about such cases. Of course, I condemn such “business”. But these are isolated examples that caused such a scandal, isolated cases against the general background. It’s just they always pay more attention to the idiots who decided to get rich than to those who accommodated people for free. The vast majority helped Ukrainians who fled from other regions. I did it too.

— Does constant training, playing sports come in handy in the current situation?

— Yes. After all, tournaments, competition since early years teach a person to overcome fears and difficulties. Stress resistance and an understanding that you need to control yourself are laid. All these qualities that sports instilled in me help a lot. They were especially useful in the first months of the war, when I did not know what to do, in which direction to move.

— What are you doing now?

— I continue with my friends from the Karate Federation within the framework of a special fund to raise funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (a year ago, Horuna said that he managed to raise about 80 thousand dollars, including proceeds from the sale of his Olympic medal — edit.) And so I train — I haven’t finished my career yet. But for various reasons, the competitive schedule is less intense than before. Perhaps this year will be the last for me in karate, and I will go on a sports retirement (the athlete is 34 years old — edit.). In October there will be the World Cup, and then we'll see.

Position, the mobilized, racket

— Do karatekas from other countries support Ukraine? Have you met, maybe, those for whom not everything is clear?

— In Europe, despite Russian propaganda, they generally understand the situation perfectly well. People adequately perceive what is going on and stand in solidarity with Ukraine. Those who think otherwise are probably silent, knowing that their position is unpopular. As for South America, Africa, they are not particularly aware of the war. And some even believe that the hostilities have already ended. I was in such situations. Therefore, the duty of Ukrainians, including athletes, is to remind the world that the war continues, the occupiers continue to bomb our country and kill ordinary citizens.

— You said in 2019, having attended a seminar in Russia, that people in Tomsk were not aware of the hostilities in the Donbas. Do you think they still don't know?

— They know. But they are presented with information in a different way — the way which is beneficial for the Russian authorities. They say that Ukrainians themselves are bombing Lviv or Kyiv, striking at residential areas. And the population believes in such nonsense! You know, there are no good Russians for me. A few out of 140 million people opposed the war. This is a drop in the sea. According to various studies, the majority of Russians support the actions of their government. Their people are mobilized by hundreds, thousands — there is no rebellious mood. And the process continues — you can say they are all against us.

— And how do you feel about Belarusians?

— We saw even after the revolution after the fake elections in 2020 that the people were against Lukashenka. The security forces and those who finance the regime are a minority. This is just a racketeering group that has seized power at the state level.

Refugees, boycott, aggression

— What do you think about the possible admission of Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics under a neutral flag?

— I would not allow Russians to participate in any international competitions. Otherwise propaganda will start to use any success of theirs. Like, they showed strength again. And in any case, everyone knows where this or that athlete comes from. Now, if a person refused a Russian passport, left the country and received refugee status is another matter then. Same with Belarusians. At the official level, the Lukashenka regime supports Russia. Therefore, there should be no exceptions for athletes from this country. Everything comes at a price. The inability of Belarusians to compete at the Olympics, including those who are against the war, is definitely not the worst option for them.

— Should Ukrainians boycott competitions where there are Russians and Belarusians?

— It’s hard to tell. When a Ukrainian wins, this is a positive signal. You can do anything. But it is realistic to lose, which will play into the hands of the representatives of the aggressor countries. But it's hard for me to generalize in this case. Everyone has their own vision of the situation. I would rather boycott not the competitions themselves, where the Russians and Belarusians were declared, but the face-to-face fights against these athletes.

— If karate remained in the Olympic program and you had a chance to perform in Paris, how would you behave?

— I would not fight the Russians by the rules. I would make it so that these athletes themselves would never again fight with the Ukrainians.

— Is it possible to justify the silence of the athletes?

— Yes. Everyone has their own fears. But I can't accept it. In 2020, Belarusians showed that they were dissatisfied with the situation. And the protesters were in the majority. But you did not have aggression, a demonstration of strength, on which power rests. It was necessary to go further. Take a weapon if needed. After all, going out with bare hands against the security forces is obviously a losing option. This also applies to athletes. Disagreeing with what is happening is not enough. If people have sports aggression, then in life you need to actively defend your position.

The picture, the Chinese, the President

— You won the European Games in Minsk in 2019. What do you remember about those competitions?

— I was surprised by three points. First, organization. It was top notch. Secondly, tight control over volunteers. They said that every step of them was monitored. They were punished for any mistake. According to Belarusians, the European Games have become window dressing. That is such a soviet approach. The main thing is the picture.

Thirdly, when I was driving to the airport from the city, I saw a site where the forest had been cut down and construction was underway (this refers to the Great Stone Industrial Park — edit.). I was told that Lukashenka leased the land to the Chinese for decades. In my opinion, this is a betrayal of the interests of the country. If you let the Chinese in, then you won’t expel them later.

— You said a year before the war that you were attracted to politics. How do you feel about it today?

— The same. I would like to become the president of Ukraine. This is a long term plan. In the coming years, it is unlikely that there will be such an opportunity, but I am still young.

— What would change in the country when the war is over?

— I would involve all controlling services to investigate cases against corrupt officials, those who enriched themselves during the war. These are the people who are delaying our victory. And then I would be engaged in the restoration of infrastructure, the development of science. Well, I wouldn’t forget about sports, of course.