Former Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff has posted a statement on social media in which she condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine after fans were left fuming by an alleged 'pro Putin' tweet.
The 44-year-old professional dancer was taken to task after sharing a series of tweets that people deemed 'insensitive' in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian dancer retweeted a cartoon depicting caricatures of Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau, in which the leaders were shown with blood on their hands.
US president Biden was drawn pointing, with the words 'Russian man bad' written in a speech bubble.
Kristina had captioned the tweet: "Don’t even have to say anything - pure genius."
She later shared a headline by Sky News which announced that Russia had been kicked out of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is due to take place later this year.
Kristina wrote alongside it: "F….ing breaking news.
"Are you for real @SkyNews ? WTF! And where are we at with bringing @BorisJohnson accountable for ruining thousands of small business while parting during lockdowns?????? This tweet EVERYTHING WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE UK MEDIA & USELESS @GOVUK #Eurovision" [sic]
After fans slammed the dancer for the "inappropriate" tweets, Kristina decided to react to the backlash by clarifying her thoughts on the war in Ukraine and how she is firmly against the actions of her homeland.
In a statement which she posted on social media, Kristina wrote: "I made fun of Eurovision tweet by Sky. I did think there was far more important information on that day that Eurovision.
"This is in any form says I was supporting what’s happening at the moment between Russia & Ukraine.
"It’s absolutely devastating for someone like me who’s grandad from Ukraine and I gave Ukrainian name to my daughter - Milena."
Kristina's statement continued: "My best friend is also from Ukraine. I grew up with knowledge that we were one nation and one country. I’m not into politics and hate politicians because THEY ALL LIE.
"Seeing the news is breaking my heart as I have Russian friends who live in UKRAINE and vice versa.
"The awful thing is that there is casualties on both sides and on both sides mums & dads will cry for their lost relatives."
Kristina concluded her statement: "The point is that this shouldn’t ever taken place, never should have happened.
"The country leaders should have found the way a long time ago to sort this peacefully but they didn’t bcs war is a profitable business and someone unfortunately making profit on this.
"I’m not supporting Putin, war, invasion, lost lives and politics.
"I hate it as much as a human being possibly can.
"If I offended anyone it wasn’t my intention and I’m deeply sorry."
Krisitina's statement was met with a more positive reaction among her fans than her original tweets.
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