Black Ukrainian lawmaker shows plight of small but visible population born out of the Cold War

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

An Olympic gold medalist serving as Ukraine's first Black member of parliament is urging fellow countrymen to resist the Russian invasion, highlighting the nation's vulnerable but little-known African Ukrainian population.

The big picture: Zhan Beleniuk has spoken openly about racism he's faced in Ukraine after bringing home the Greco-Roman middleweight gold last year in the Tokyo games. But experts say he and other Black Ukrainians are expressing their loyalty to the country amid fears they could become special targets for Russian occupiers.

Driving the news: On Facebook on the eve of the invasion, Beleniuk called on Ukrainians to keep calm, "believe in our country" and "understand that panic is the main 'weapon' that is currently playing against us!"

Last week, he posted images of himself on Facebook and Instagram cleaning a Soviet-era pistol, suggesting he was preparing to fight.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/black-ukrainian-lawmaker-shows-plight-104524820.html

[Raine]

1. Very interesting ... Thanks for posting this. 👍 nt

[electric_blue68]

2. Yes, interesting. Good luck to him and his fellow African Ukrainians, and all the Ukrainians.