Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022, there have been only 3 Russian soccer players that have spoken out against their country’s violence. The 3 people that have done so are Fedor Smolov, Aleksandr Sobolev and Nadezha Karpova.
About Karpova
Karpova has relatives in Ukraine. She was the first player on the Russia’s Women’s National Team to speak out against the war. Her first name means hope and she is determined to channel its meaning to create positive change in the world. Karpova also plays for Espanyol, a Spanish club team. She has been posting anti-war messages every day on Instagram where she has 143,000 followers. “I can’t just look at this inhumanity and stay silent. I don’t know what would happen if I was in Russia, not in Spain, but I feel a special responsibility to speak out.” Karpova says. She moved to Barcelona in 2017 to begin her training with the Espanyol team. Recently, Russia was banned from participating in the 2022 Women’s Euro Cup.
Karpova is very good at keeping her word and preventing the spread of Russian hate messages towards Ukraine. She says, “A year earlier I’d been ‘backed by Lionel Messi’ – I was only female among nine young footballers from all over the world chosen to feature alongside the Argentine in an Adidas advertisement campaign.”
Khimych
In March, Karpova met Khimych another striker with family in Ukraine. “When I first met with her, she looked at me cautiously,” Karpova says. “Like she was not sure if I was pro-war and considered Ukrainians enemies. I wanted to cry. I was thinking about her family and friends, and if they are OK. It was such a horrible feeling to understand that she could lose loved ones. I’m just overwhelmed with emotions. I still can’t believe sometimes that it is real, and it is happening,” stated Karpova. Luckily, Khimych’s relatives are reported to be safe.
About Karpova
Karpova has relatives in Ukraine. She was the first player on the Russia’s Women’s National Team to speak out against the war. Her first name means hope and she is determined to channel its meaning to create positive change in the world. Karpova also plays for Espanyol, a Spanish club team. She has been posting anti-war messages every day on Instagram where she has 143,000 followers. “I can’t just look at this inhumanity and stay silent. I don’t know what would happen if I was in Russia, not in Spain, but I feel a special responsibility to speak out.” Karpova says. She moved to Barcelona in 2017 to begin her training with the Espanyol team. Recently, Russia was banned from participating in the 2022 Women’s Euro Cup.
Karpova is very good at keeping her word and preventing the spread of Russian hate messages towards Ukraine. She says, “A year earlier I’d been ‘backed by Lionel Messi’ – I was only female among nine young footballers from all over the world chosen to feature alongside the Argentine in an Adidas advertisement campaign.”
Khimych
In March, Karpova met Khimych another striker with family in Ukraine. “When I first met with her, she looked at me cautiously,” Karpova says. “Like she was not sure if I was pro-war and considered Ukrainians enemies. I wanted to cry. I was thinking about her family and friends, and if they are OK. It was such a horrible feeling to understand that she could lose loved ones. I’m just overwhelmed with emotions. I still can’t believe sometimes that it is real, and it is happening,” stated Karpova. Luckily, Khimych’s relatives are reported to be safe.
