Erik Lesser conveyed truthful pictures of Ukraine to his Russian fans

Not all Russians liked the capture of Erik Lesser. KIMMO BRANDT, Kimmo Brandt / EPA / AOP

Biathlete Erik Lesser wanted to pass on information about Ukraine to his Russian fans.

– I feel that the Russians do not really know what is happening in Ukraine, Lesser said In an interview with Spiegel.

The German has about 30,000 Russian fans on Instagram, so he decided to give his account to a Ukrainian biathlete Anastasia Merkushynan taken over.

– I thought that if I publish something myself, no one will believe me. But if I let the Ukrainian do it, then it is already something, Lesser justified his decision.

So lesser pictures and videos of Ukraine appeared in Lesser’s account over the weekend. Merkushyna had received them from her friends living in Ukraine.

The story continues after the picture.

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Merkushyna infuriated Russian athletes for complaining about the IBU’s ban on competition, even though at the same time people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian army.

– How can you even compete when your country shows our relatives and friends with machine guns? You know exactly what’s going on, and your silence costs dozens of lives. Ukrainians are taking up arms to defend their country – and you are afraid of the truth, Merkushyna wrote.

Lesser was followed by 118,000 people on Instagram before the rapture. A day later, there were 137,000 followers.

However, according to Lesser, about a third of Russian fans turned their backs on him. They claimed, among other things, that the man is sharing false news in his account.

The story continues after the pictures.

If the images do not appear on your device, you can view them from here.

“Erik has a big heart”

When the day-long rapture was over, Merkushyna thanked Lesser.

– I can’t describe how grateful I am. These days, I feel the love and support of the biathlon family. Erik has a big heart and I will always remember how kind he is.

Merkushyna also said the task was not easy for her.

– It was the hardest day of my life collecting pictures from my close friends. It was really tough. I can only thank all of them who were with me today.

Lesser is a tough name for biathlon paint, as there are two World Cup gold, three World Championship silver and two World Championship bronzes in the man’s prize cabinet. At the Olympics, the man has achieved two silver and one bronze.