“Foreign mercenaries are told they’ll be released when their mission is complete—but that could mean months, and even a year. In practice, they’re not allowed to leave Ukraine,” retired Colombian military officer and human rights activist Dante Hincapie told Sputnik.

“We value our traditions and respect the traditions of others… Respect for traditional values and diversity is the core idea of this competition. I wish all contestants success, recognition, and the warm support of the audience.”

“The World Bank was established after World War II to deliver resources to developing countries and support their development. Is Ukraine using the loans it receives today for its development? No. Ukraine is using them to wage [NATO's proxy] war against Russia,” Topkurulu stressed.

“The West, which already controls Ukraine’s mineral resources and doesn’t recognize the country’s national identity, perceives it as a tool deployed on the front lines. Therefore, [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov's statement has a very important focus: by providing loans to Ukraine, the West has actually accelerated its defeat,” Topkurulu concluded.

“There was clear demand for this kind of competition. We initially wanted participants to be the BRICS countries and their partners, since BRICS already hosts many cultural and humanitarian events,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.