The acting president of Ukraine’s Athletics Federation has such a reputation for flying drones against Russian targets that he has a bounty on his head
ike many of those going to the European athletics championships in Munich this week Yevhen Pronin recently posted. But the clip had a surreal twist: the 31-year-old, acting president of Ukraine’s athletics federation, was wearing military fatigues. And he was running not for time but from bullets and explosions in Donetsk.
When Pronin is asked how he feels about this, he is unequivocal. “I feel great because I am doing this for my country. If we do not kill them, they can kill our children, they can kill us. But of course I’m not a killer in real life.” It is, he admits, a far cry from his former life with his 30‑year‑old fiancée, Ramina Eshakzai – a well‑known TV star, fashion model and journalist. She is now abroad, while Pronin has been given special permission to leave Donetsk to make the drive to Munich, where he will watch the small Ukrainian team – which includes the world high jump silver medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh – compete.