Cross-country skiing star Veronika Stepanova has defended her controversial speech in the Moscow Kremlin and once again accused the western media of spreading fake news in connection with Russia.
“Ever since I spoke on the day of the Olympic champions’ reception in the Kremlin, I have been inundated with requests for further comment from Western journalists,” Stepanova wrote in a post on her Instagram channel on Wednesday. She has already met some of these journalists personally, “that’s why they may have formed an opinion about me”.
But she has an answer for all these journalists: “Did you really expect anything else from me? Does it make me ‘another Russian’ because I smile, speak some English and am almost always ready for a joke? Extreme naivety! “
In the aforementioned speech in the Kremlin at the end of April, Stepanova described Russia as “strong, proud and successful”. The country is “on the right track” and will win, “just like we won at the Olympic Games,” said the 21-year-old, who was obviously referring to the war in Ukraine. Addressing President Vladimir Putin directly, the Olympic champion said: “I promise: we will not fail.”
“Let me tell you something: We Russians wish our motherland the best. That is our fundamental belief,” she continued. Anyone who has a problem with this should think independently about why Russia is so sure that it can overcome all the hurdles.
“And maybe you should stop believing in the myths that you create and perpetuate yourself in the Western media?” Stepanova also accused the journalists of spreading fake news.