Russian woman carried Ukraine team placard at Winter Olympics opening ceremony

February 17, 2026

TL;DR

Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian architect living in Milan, carried the Ukrainian team's placard at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
She chose to represent Ukraine as a small act of resistance to show support.
Kucherova believes it is important to demonstrate that not all Russians share the same views regarding the war.
She noted the athletes recognized her Russian origins and addressed her in Russian, seeing it as a sign of connection.
Kucherova also linked her action to the second anniversary of Alexei Navalny's death, using it to remind the world the war continues.

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