Joe Brolly saluted Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko for choosing the 'hero's way' to enlist in the army and defend his country from a Russian invasion.
The former three-weight world champion is defending his country after Vladimir Putin's forces launched a deadly assault last Thursday as Ukraine defend major cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv from a Russian onslaught.
Former heavyweight stars Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, the latter being the current mayor of Kyiv, have also taken up arms to defend their country while Alexander Usyk has returned to the country to join the fight.
And sharing a viral picture of the boxing superstar in Ukrainian army attire, the RTE pundit commended Lomachenko for staying put and joining the cause.
"I wouldn’t fancy hand to hand combat with this fellow," Brolly joked.
"Vasyl Lomachenko could have left Ukraine & lived off his millions earned in the ring. But like the lion he is, he has chosen the hero’s way."
The Klitschko brothers are reportedly on a select 'Russian hit list' of targets that also includes the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
After years of political conflict, Putin essentially declared war last Thursday when he ordered troops over the border and into Ukraine.
Wladimir and Vitali, who has served as the Mayor of Kyiv since 2014, wasted no time in taking up arms to help defend their country.
On Sunday, Wladimir, issued a desperate video plea to other nations to help halt the invasion but 24 hours later, Ukraine ’s interior ministry claimed that 352 civilians have thus far been killed, including 14 children, while more than 1600 more people have been wounded.
And according to The Times , around 400 Russian mercenaries are currently operating in the capital of Kyiv, under orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government.
The 'hit list' is said to consist of 23 other names, including cabinet members and the Klitschko brothers.
The report revealed that Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies, flew in mercenaries from Africa last month on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a financial bonus.
Information about their mission is said to have reached the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning and hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians that they would be seen as Kremlin agents if they stepped outside.
And a source closely connected to the group’s activities allegedly confirmed that between 2,000 and 4,000 mercenaries had crossed the border in January, and were deployed to various regions around the Ukraine.
The mercenaries are awaiting a signal from the Kremlin and have been promised hefty bonuses for assassinations, as well as safely being transported out of the Ukraine before the end of the week.
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
