Olympic champion and MP Zhan Beleniuk told how, during a business trip to the United States, his dark skin tone became a powerful argument in destroying Russian narratives about the alleged oppression of other nationalities in Ukraine.
The People's Deputy reported this on Telegram.
He shared some details of his parliamentary work from his trip to the States. This time, there were meetings with the local community and government representatives - the mayor of Norfolk, Virginia senators, as well as visits to the NATO Joint Command base.
In particular, during one of the conversations with a representative of the special services, the topic of perception of the war in Ukraine among different social and ethnic groups was touched upon. For example, for some groups in the United States, the war in Ukraine is perceived as something distant, not related to their problems. There are also certain narratives that contribute to people not paying attention to the events in Ukraine.
There is still Russian propaganda about supposedly "neo-Nazism and racism" in Ukraine, which pushes this audience away from the topic of war. Therefore, his blackness became proof to the contrary.
"In this context, my presence as a black representative of the Ukrainian parliament is a powerful tool in conveying the truth and explaining the situation. And we will definitely continue to use it," Beleniuk added.
We previously wrote that MP Beleniuk found $100 while jogging near the Capitol.