Kalinina Brands Russian Soldiers 'Not Human' Admist War in Ukraine

| by Alex Waite

Ukrainian tennis player Anhelina Kalinina has condemned Russian soldiers for bombing her home town Nova Kakhovka during the Russia-Ukraine war.

Kalinina grew up in the Southern Ukrainian town of Nova Kakhovka and spent many of her formative years learning her tennis skills here too. But, the town and the entire Southern region of Ukraine have been heavily impacted by the Russian invasion due to regular bombings and intense combat between opposing forces.

In an interview with inews, the 26-year-old opened up about her childhood in Nova Kakhovka. The WTA player also explained some emotional and detailed memories about the town and how her tennis career started here with the help of her family members.

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"I spent my whole childhood there. My school was there, I was practising there, I started my way there."

Anhelina Kalinina told inews

"I remember the summers especially in childhood. This is really tough to say… but I was everyday waking up at 6am, going with my granny to the tennis courts, practise one session then I go back, then another session, then some fitness games or whatever with everyone because there were so many kids there...It’s amazing memories,”

Kalinina has regularly shown support to Ukraine recently and she refused to shake hands with Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova at the 2023 Italian Open in May.

Speaking at the 2023 Nottingham Open, the 26-year-old explained that the memories she made during her childhood in Nova Kakhovka are unforgettable. In addition, the Ukrainian player hit out at the Russian soldiers who are participating in the war.

“I cannot forget that but, what happened now… I have no words for this because first they took the territory, they occupied the territory and now they bombed, and because of this explosion, all the water just covered the whole city. So what can I say? I mean, they’re not humans.”

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