After retiring at the Australian Open earlier this year, Stakhovsky appeared to be enjoying a well-deserved retirement. At the time, nobody could have imagined that a Russian invasion would take place in Ukraine a few months later. Stakhovsky seemed to mainly help his country financially, but the ex-tennis player can now also be found in Kiev. Stakhovsky monitors security in the Ukrainian capital in elite groups of three to five. “The city is gradually coming back to life, the first shock wave seems to have passed,” he tells the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung†
“Everything that was once our daily life no longer exists,” Stakhovsky says. “Although my days have a fixed structure. I belong to an elite group of three or five and have our own sector where we do patrols. Each time we have a two-hour shift, then a six-hour break, then we go back out for two hours… that could be during the day or in the middle of the night. We check for Russian military intrusions and hunt them down, just as we do looters. We are primarily responsible for the safety of the city. We are gradually seeing Kiev come back to life. Families come back. I think the first shock wave is over.”
No army experience
Stakhovsky, like many Ukrainians, has no military experience. The ex-tennis player had never held a weapon before, let alone used it. “I hope I don’t have to use it, but if I have to, I will. But I don’t see why my compatriots should risk their lives and I don’t.”
Although calm appears to be returning to Ukraine, Stakhovsky is cautious. “Of course we are all concerned about the cities that are being destroyed and where many people are dying. That provides extra motivation, but it also creates a lot of bad blood. Everyone here is ready to take revenge on the Russian army and their atrocities, for the suffering they cause our people.”
Sergiy Stakhovsky at his post in Kiev
Ⓒ ANP/HH
Grandparents and children
The fear that things could still go the wrong way and that Russia will annex Ukraine are still alive with Stakhovsky and his compatriots. “Then we no longer exist. That would be terrible, even to my grandparents who are buried here. I hope to be able to tell the Ukrainian story to my children in the future. That’s why I felt it was my duty to be here. Otherwise I would feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
That the Ukrainians receive support from the rest of the world affects Stakhovsky. Yet it is not sufficient. “We can see that we are not alone, that the world is watching and caring about us. Even Djokovic and Federer have recently sent me messages expressing their support. Federer told me he hopes peace will come soon and wants to help Ukrainian children with his wife Mirka and their organization.”
“But the political support could and should be much greater. The airspace over Ukraine must be closed as soon as possible. Because on the ground, Russia is never going to beat us. We are ready to fight back.”
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung/Het Nieuwsblad