One of the most titled Russian Muay Thai fighters Artem Levin lost a number of his awards and titles. This happened after Levin posted a video on his Instagram in which he condemned the war that Russia unleashed in Ukraine. Artem condemned the fighters and opinion leaders who, sitting in their chairs, stand up for the war, urging 18-year-old "conscripts" to go to war with the Ukrainians. Levin also noted that, unlike Povetkin, Shlemenko, Lebedev and other Russian sports stars who support the war from the couch, Ukrainian top athletes defend their homeland with weapons in their hands. Levin cited Lomachenko, Usyk, the Klitschko brothers, Yaroslav Amosov as an example. Below is the text of the official statement of the Thai boxing federation of Kuzbass.
“The Honored Master of Sports Artem Levin was deprived of all regional awards. The relevant document was published in an electronic bulletin on the website of the Administration of the Government of Kuzbass.
The list of awards included:
Medals "For Honor and Courage", "For Faith and Kindness", "For Service to Kuzbass", "For a Special Contribution to the Development of Kuzbass III Degree", as well as an honorary badge "Golden Badge "Kuzbass".
The decision of the commission is related to the video published on the social network Instagram, on the personal page of the athlete. In it, Levin sharply condemns the military operation of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine. According to the commission, this entry serves as the basis for depriving the awards "in view of the commission by the person of an offense that discredits him as the recipient", in accordance with Part 1 of Article 9-1 of the Law of the Kemerovo Region dated February 14, 2005 No. 32-OZ "On Awards".
Artem is a native of the region of true patriots of the Motherland. This place became for him a springboard to great professional sports, where he achieved great success. On our land, the athlete tempered a real Siberian character under the strict guidance of the best coaches, shared the same ring with famous Russian athletes, and later he himself was an example for young people.
From these facts, the discrediting act of the former captain of the Muaythai team looks even more stunning. Apparently, long-term residence in the United States leaves a deep imprint on the perception of the Fatherland, weakens the steely Siberian character, turning it into a liquid and sticky mass, to which your new fellow citizens' stereotypical opinion about Russia is easily attached. Here is a vivid example of what the pursuit of the so-called "American dream" does to a person. Among our people there is such a proverb: "A man without a Motherland is like a nightingale without a song." This song has long been sung by an athlete in English and the tricolor has been replaced by stars. It also turns out that Levin's professional nickname "Lion" is not true. Lions don't behave like that. No one says that the death of people is good, but why did he bring up this topic after many years? What will you not do for the sake of PR, even if it blackens the image of your Motherland ... "
