Alisher Usmanov fencing

Two-time Olympic champion Olga Kharlan reacted to the International Fencing Federation’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally under their national flags, with anthems and symbols. The Ukrainian fencer shared her position on Instagram on June 3. 

Russia’s hybrid war against Western democracies extends far beyond the battlefield. It infiltrates institutions, hijacks norms, and bends international rules to its will—from abusing its UN Security Council veto to shield acts of aggression, to exploiting every global organization within reach. Long before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin-linked influence had already seeped into the fabric of humanitarian, cultural, and media institutions. From the Red Cross and Interpol to parts of the UN system, Russian money—often toxic and politically motivated—took advantage of the democratic world’s openness to undermine it from within.