In Kyiv, life resumes its course several months after the start of the war in Ukraine. But in the east of the country, Volodymyr Zelensky’s army is trying to contain the advance of the Russians, who now control most of Donbass. To help the Ukrainian forces, 10-year-old Valeria Yezhova, the women’s world champion in her age category, decided to offer the inhabitants of the capital to face her, CNN reports.
Anyone can play against her, as long as they leave some coins or bills in a shoe box. And it works: in just a few days, Valeria managed to collect the equivalent of 700 euros.
Several hundred euros raised
He decided to donate this money to a foundation that raises funds to buy humanitarian aid and equipment for the Ukrainian army.
“Valeria asked me how she could help the Ukrainian army,” Liubov, Valeria’s mother, told CNN. “I asked her what she did best and she said she was ‘good with the ladies.’ That’s how this idea was born.”
However, at the beginning of the war, Valeria and her mother had to hide for several days in the basement of a school as Russian forces closed in on Kyiv. When possible, they fled to the city of Lviv, in the west of the country, before finally returning to the capital, says the American channel.
According to CNN, Valeria’s initiative inspired other checkers players in the country: several decided to do like her and offered to play in the streets to raise funds for the Ukrainian army.
Source: BFM TV
