STRICTLY Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has revealed his friends in Russia “can’t make sense” of the invasion on Ukraine.
The 42-year-old, who was born in Russia but has family links to Ukraine, spoke out about the ongoing situation during an appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch yesterday.
He explained: “My family on my mum’s side goes back to Ukraine and I still have relatives there as well so this whole situation of Russia against Ukraine seems like a nonsense to me, and all of the people I know back in Russia cannot make sense of it either. I think it just shouldn’t be happening.
“It is depressing and the hardest thing for me to try to keep my mum cheered up a little bit, because since it started happening she kinda went inwards and closed up a little bit…
“She’s here with me in London, so we’re talking a lot, but those things cannot be fixed in one conversation.”
The pro dancer, who is married to Rachel Riley, has been praised for sharing his thoughts.
It comes as Strictly stars Katya Jones and Luba Mushtuk have for weeks stayed silent following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
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Last week, fellow pro Nikita Kuzmin hit out at Russian friends in the dance world who refuse to condemn the invasion of his native Ukraine.
Nikita, who was partnered with Tilly Ramsay on the last series of the BBC One show, was born and raised in Ukraine before moving to Italy aged nine.
His elderly grandmother escaped Kyiv earlier this month, by walking miles in the freezing cold, when she could “barely walk”.
The 24-year-old said on podcast Private Parts it was hard not to be ‘angry’ with fellow pros who have publicly ignored the crisis.
He said: “The only moment when I have actual anger, because I don’t like to experience anger, so I try always to find a different emotion, is when I see the friends which I have in Russia – mostly dancers – that don’t know, or ignore, or just don’t know better.
“Because of all the propaganda and all the influence which is happening.
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“This makes me really angry because it’s just unfair.”
The Celeb Report previously revealed Strictly dancers have been left divided on whether Katya and Luba should remain on the show, claiming it would be in “bad taste”.
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4 and All 4
