Ukrainian boxer sacrificed Olympic dreams and life to fight against Russia
Voice of America
In this photo provided by the International Olympic Committee, Maksym Halinichev of Ukraine, right, competes against Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan during the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 18, 2018. In this photo provided by the IOC, from left, Maksym Halinichev of Ukraine, Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan and Mirco Jehiel Cuello of Argentina stand during the medal a ceremony during The Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Oct. 18, 2018. Young boxers prepare to fight during a boxing tournament in honor of Maksym Halinichev, in Romny, in Ukraine's Sumy region, Feb. 3, 2024. Images of Halinichev flank the central billboard. Vasilisa plays with her mother, Polina Ihrak, during a boxing tournament in honor of her father, Maksym Halinichev, who was killed during fighting with Russian forces in March 2023, in Romny, in Ukraine's Sumy region, Feb. 3, 2024. Young boxers enter the opening ceremony of a boxing tournament in honor of Maksym Halinichev, in Romny, in Ukraine's Sumy region, Feb. 3, 2024.
Maksym Halinichev won silver at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in a match described at the time as "two of the best young fighters going for glory." He considered the bout a loss – it wasn't gold, after all – but it gave him a map for the future.
FILE - Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to welcome the senior Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Damascus, Dec. 30, 2024.
Thailand' s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives at Government House for the cabinet meeting in Bangkok, Feb. 4, 2025.
FILE - French soldiers stand in line as they board a military plane following their departure from Abeche military base as part of an on ongoing withdrawal of French Forces in Abeche on Jan. 11, 2025.
FILE - Armed Taliban fighters parade atop humvee vehicles as they celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, near the former US embassy in Kabul on Aug. 31, 2022. FILE - Zabihullah Mujahid, chief Taliban spokesperson, talks with reporters in Doha, Qatar, June 30, 2024.
A police vehicle is seen near a Campus Risbergska building in Orebro, Sweden, on Feb. 4, 2025. Five people were shot at the school, police said. (TT news agency via AFP)
FILE - This picture taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows Chinese tourists posing for photographs at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Thailand is concerned about the impact of Myanmar-based scam centers on its tourist market.
This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service on Feb. 2, 2025 shows firefighters putting out a fire in Eastern Ukraine Sumy region following a Russian strike.
Israeli soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint where the military said an attacker fired at an army base near the village of Tayasir in the northern West Bank, Feb. 4, 2025.
FILE - In this image taken from video provided by the Philippine coast guard, two Chinese ships aim their water cannons on a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, center, as it approaches Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Dec. 9, 2023.
FILE - Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024.
Members of the Congolese Red Cross and the Civilian Protection group bury dozens of bodies in a cemetery in Goma on Feb. 3, 2025.
In this undated photo released by Zoological Society of London on Feb. 3, 2025, Darwin's frog is seen at London Zoo.