Ukraine President outraged at the treatment Oleksandr Usyk received in Poland
Ukrainian heavyweight boxing Olympic champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after detention by law-enforcement officers at Poland’s Krakow airport, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed on Wednesday, September 18.
“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” Zelenskiy angrily stated on the Telegram messaging app.
“Our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”
It was not immediately clear why 37-year-old Usyk was detained after the news and video footage circulated around social media channels yesterday evening.
A video clip showed him surrounded by uniformed officers leading him away in handcuffs. Although his wife, Kate, was quick to placate everyone on Instagram, sharing the news that “Everything is ok, everything is fine!!! Alexander will explain everything later!!! nothing to be criminal … Good night to you all!!!”
The WBC, WBO and WBA champion, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has been a national hero aiding Kyiv’s war efforts.
Poland’s foreign and interior ministries have not replied to requests for comments.
“Friends, everything is fine,” Usyk said himself in an Instagram post. “There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned.”
He added, “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that his ministry will contact the Polish foreign ministry, as it considered the detention “disproportionate and unacceptable in relation to our champion.”
Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina Usyk, who posted a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers, said in an Instagram post in English that she was thankful her husband was free after a misunderstanding.