Thank you for taking the time to speak to us, Mr. Nikolenko.

Alexander Davydov

sports editor.

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Sorry it took so long, we were without power for a while.

How far away is the front?

We are here in Zaporizhia, 50 kilometers from the front line.

Still, we can hear if there's a grenade or rocket attack happening anywhere in the area, or something hissing overhead.

In addition, the lights regularly go out because our electricity is switched off to save energy.

The water supply is also interrupted from time to time.

How do you feel about the day this became the norm?

It is difficult to put feelings into words.

The war in Ukraine began in 2014, and the full-scale invasion has now lasted almost a year.

We have learned to adapt to this situation and to live with it.

We try to mobilize all our resources, we try to help each other, we give humanitarian aid to each other.

And so we try to use our time wisely while we still have energy.

Despite all the hardships, you managed to remain active as an athlete and trained in Heuchelheim and Frankfurt, among other places.

Back then I had to prepare for the World Championships.

Since the training conditions in my hometown were getting worse and worse, I took the opportunity to train in Germany.

I am indebted to the country and above all to the people who made this possible for me, such as Fabian Lemke (national trainer for para-table tennis in the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association, ed.) and the German para-athletes with whom I was allowed to train. very grateful.

It was a great experience.

What were the big differences from a sporting point of view?

Germany is one of the strongest countries in Europe when it comes to table tennis.

I see big differences to the standards in Ukraine, especially in the approach to training and gameplay.

The game processes in the matches are different.

The drills I studied in Germany were more about passive play and control.

Another major difference is that relatively few German para-athletes are able to practice their sport full-time.

They often train in the evenings after work, whereas before the invasion of Ukraine, for example, you could train in para-table tennis several times a day, because that's what we earn our living with.

As a national team player, I had access to the training facilities at all times, practically 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Each of your victories is also considered a triumph for Ukraine.

So your appearance is also perceived as a symbol for the whole country?

Yes, we act as a beacon for our country, so to speak, and show the rest of the world what our home country is capable of doing despite the current situation and that we must not give up.

Are you planning a possible return to Germany, or do you want to stay at home and support your home country?

Do you mean the choice between an athlete and a patriot?

I see no difference between these two terms.

Even though I train in Germany, I support my country as a professional athlete and through my achievements in this role.

But now I can hardly plan anything anyway.

We live in times of uncertainty.

The long-term goal for me is the Paralympics in Paris.

The International Olympic Committee plans to admit Belarusian and Russian athletes to these games.

What comes to your mind when you think of meeting them in Paris?

Every citizen of the country shares responsibility for the government they represent at events, including the flag and the anthem.

Therefore, athletes should also take responsibility for their government's decision.

And if this government has decided to invade Ukraine, it is only right that its athletes stay at home because of it.

And the athletes, silent in the face of the war, tacitly approve of it.

They support a regime that kills innocent civilians and such athletes have no place in international sport.

But can you imagine that one day there will be a reconciliation?

Can you imagine forgiving one day?

You can forgive someone who asks.

So far nobody has done this.

The athletes there are silent, no one has openly spoken out against the war.

Not a single Russian athlete has ever contacted me to express regret about the war.

On the contrary, they go on with their lives as usual, while here we are forced to do without the simplest things like light or running water.

But Ukrainian athletes are not immune to politics.

Are they used for Ukrainian propaganda?

A counter question: If German athletes compete with the flag of their home country and stand up for what their home country stands for, aren't they also part of the propaganda in your sense?

And of course there is no such thing as sport alongside politics.

Every country pursues its own goals with sport.

To me, propaganda is putting your own goals ahead of others.

But our goal is to survive.