"Please don’t let anybody shoot me" - When Oleksandr Usyk revisited the horrors of time spent in military during early days of Russia-Ukraine war

Oleksandr Usyk once recounted the horrors of the time he spent in the Ukrainian military during the Russia-Ukraine war. While both countries have engaged in some form of conflict time and again over the years, tensions reached another crescendo in February 2022 after Russian forces entered Ukraine.

Presently, the ongoing war is approaching the three-year mark. Usyk and other Ukrainian boxing greats such as Vasiliy Lomachenko, and the Klitschko brothers also volunteered to help their country's military. Usyk served in the Ukrainian territorial army from February to late March 2022. He then departed to train in Poland for his rematch against Anthony Joshua booked for August 2022.

As reported by The Guardian a few months before the rematch, Oleksandr Usyk narrated his harrowing war experience:

"Every day I was there ... I was praying and asking: 'Please, God, don't let anybody try to kill me. Please don't let anybody shoot me. And please don't make me shoot another person ... But if I had felt in danger, if I feel my life or my family is in jeopardy, I would have [killed]."

Additionally, Usyk suggested he still didn't want to leave his city and country. Apparently, he visited hospitalized soldiers, who asked him to rematch Joshua which they felt would help their country more than his fighting in Ukraine.

While Usyk departed the war late in March, he was linked to it again courtesy of Russian soldiers reportedly ransacking his house. He highlighted that his family wasn't in Ukraine but close friends were, adding that he checks up on them and would return to Ukraine after the Joshua rematch.

Moreover, Usyk insinuated that the Russian side allegedly attacked civilian areas whilst they claimed to only target military establishments. 'The Cat' added that he doesn't trust them. Vowing to win the Joshua rematch even more dominantly, he also displayed his "traditional Ukrainian Cossack warrior haircut."

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Oleksandr Usyk lobbies for support to his native Ukraine amid ongoing war with Russia

Per The Guardian, Oleksandr Usyk, who's known for his sense of humor, noted that he sometimes forces himself to smile and sing -- signaling that the Russia-Ukrainian war's seriousness had affected him. The veteran boxer implied that when his children asked him why their adversaries wanted to kill them, he simply didn't have an answer.

Usyk defeated Joshua via unanimous decision in 2021 and via split decision in 2022. 'The Cat' last competed against Tyson Fury, outpointing him to unify the heavyweight belts and become the division's undisputed champion. However, Usyk vacated the IBF title thereafter and is presently the unified champion, who's booked to defend his throne in a rematch against Fury on Dec. 21, 2024.

Prior to the highly-anticipated rematch, Oleksandr Usyk, who recently earned praise for his response to a solider's letter, has consistently called for people to help Ukraine. Particularly underlining the significance of food during the region's harsh winter, amid the war with Russia nonetheless, the Usyk Foundation has linked with other charitable organizations to accrue funds to help those in need.