'World's Strongest Girl' Responds to Schwarzenegger's Message to Russian People About Ukraine

Maryana Naumova, a former Arnold Classic powerlifting champion, recorded a response to Arnold Schwarzenegger's message to the Russian people, accusing the "Terminator" star of breaking his promise to Donbass children and promoting an "invented reality".

Naumova recalls her time at the US Arnold Classic championship in 2015, when she won and met Schwarzenegger, whom she called her "idol". She said she handed him letters from children in Donbass that the kids gave her when she was visiting the region on a humanitarian sports mission. At the time, according the powerlifting champion, Schwarzenegger said that he would "work on" the letters, before handing the envelope to his assistant.

"Obviously, you didn't work on the letters I gave you, even though you promised", Naumova said. "Arnold, sometimes it is very difficult to understand, being thousands and thousands of kilometres away from us, but you still have those letters and photos from 2015, don't you? In fact, you could just come and see everything in person – you are a brave man".

The athlete drew Schwarzenegger's attention to a gloomy memorial in Donetsk known as the Alley of Angels, established in memory of children "killed by bullets and bombs of the Ukrainian army".

"Your message is based on some other invented reality. The reality is, Arnold, that your 'Terminator' not only did not protect, but did not help, did not save the children of Donbass, did not read their letters and try to understand the situation", Naumova said.

Her response comes days after the former California governor released his own message addressed to the Russian people. In a nine-minute-long video posted on his social media, Schwarzenegger assured Russians that he "loves" them and told viewers about his own Russian icon, powerlifting champion Yuri Vlasov.

The "Terminator" star said he wanted to spread the "truth" about the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, which he described as an "illegal war" that he believed was not launched in the name of the Russian people.

He then recalled the Nazi past of his father, who "did not like Russians" after his experience during World War II. Drawing a parallel between his father's time in the Nazi army and Russian soldiers, Schwarzenegger addressed the latter, noting that his father was traumatised by war wounds and a sense of guilt.

"I don't want you to be broken like my father", Schwarzenegger said. "This is not the war to defend Russia that you grandfathers and grand grandfathers fought".

The military operation in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for over 20 days, was launched by the Kremlin in late February with the goal to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the neighbouring country. Moscow said it had no plans to occupy Ukraine or harm civilians, underlining that Russian troops only target military infrastructure.

Western countries, however, have condemned the military operation and called it an invasion, imposing a slew of harsh anti-Russian sanctions that have targeted the Russian economy, media, culture, sports, and many other spheres.