CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The five Ukrainian athletes who took part in the Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony in Milan were led out by an Italian-based Russian volunteer who disagrees with her country’s invasion of their neighbour. Kucherova asked if she could carry the “Ucraina” sign. “Still, I think it’s important to do even a small action to show them that maybe not all the people are thinking the same way.”Anastasia Kucherova asked if she could carry the “Ucraina” sign at the opening ceremony. “You have to consider that during the opening ceremony, there were more than 1,200 volunteers,” said Milan Cortina 2026 spokesman Luca Casassa during Wednesday’s Winter Olympics daily briefing in Milan. “They worked to make the opening ceremony something really unique and we cannot vet every volunteer.

Source: International New York Times February 18, 2026 15:47 UTC