Court opened investigation into Sanchez's wife in response to a complaint by anti-corruption pressure group, whose leader is linked to the far right
europe2 hours ago
An honour guard fired a three-gun salute toward cloudy skies as friends and comrades-in-arms gathered in Kyiv to bid farewell to a Russian woman who was killed while fighting on Ukraine’s side in the war with her native country.
Olga Simonova, 34, was remembered for her courage and kindness at a funeral in the Ukrainian capital on Friday.
Simonova’s coffin was draped in the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag, with a cuddly toy lion on top. Her nom de guerre was “Simba,” like the main character in the Disney cartoon “The Lion King”.
Just a few days before the Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24, Simonova spoke to The Associated Press in a trench in the Donbas region, where she had served for years alongside Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russian-backed separatists.
Born in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, Simonova had a keen interest in sports and excelled in both mountain climbing and karate. She said she was always proud to compete for Russia.
But she started feeling uncomfortable about her native country after reading about Russia’s war in Chechnya and its actions in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Filled with doubts that she “would ever be able to raise the flag of my country, my homeland” again, Simonova made a life-changing decision. She travelled to Ukraine to join the conflict in the Donbas on the Ukrainian side, first as a volunteer fighter, then a paramedic and ultimately as an enlisted member of the Armed Forces.
“I had this internal feeling that I could handle it and that what I was doing was right and necessary, because I can’t turn a blind eye to the situation,” she said. “I just had to buy a one-way ticket. I bought it and I left.”
Simonova said she never hid her Russian origin from her colleagues and gained their trust by showing her commitment to Ukraine on the battlefield. In 2017 she received Ukrainian citizenship.
She became a sergeant and was given command of both infantry and artillery units.
Friends and colleagues said Simonova, who was unmarried and had no children, had recently redeployed from the east to the southern Kherson region, where Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces. They said she died on September 13, after her vehicle hit a land mine.
“She was respected not only as a commander, but as a person,” said Dmytro Karabinovskyi, her former commander and friend.
Court opened investigation into Sanchez's wife in response to a complaint by anti-corruption pressure group, whose leader is linked to the far right
europe2 hours ago
Chang'e-6 to return with soil samples from moon's far side; the mission expected to last 53 days
asia2 hours ago
The breed, prized for profitability and an ability to adapt to climate change, garners celebrity status in the Central Asian country
asia3 hours ago
Thousands of schools have suspended classes due to the heat, affecting more than 3.6 million students, education ministry data shows
asia3 hours ago
Despite the growing market share of domestic automakers, Teslas remain among the best-selling EVs in the Asian country
auto3 hours ago
The entire plan will see cow-breeding and poultry projects come up near the massive wheat farm and the dairy farm will form the third phase
uae3 hours ago
Modi, 73, remains resoundingly popular after a decade in office, and he is widely expected to win a third term
asia3 hours ago
With over seven years of experience in branding and social media, and three years in motion graphics and editing, Arkan's expertise spans a wide range of creative domains
kt network3 hours ago