Natalija Panczenko, a figure described as a leader of the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland, reacted sharply after Vladimir Semirunniy—competing for Poland—won a silver medal at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. She launched a harsh attack on social media, pointing to the young speed skater’s place of birth and the many years he lived and trained in Russia. That was not all: a bitter post also appeared on the Euromaidan–Warsaw profile.

It was the summer of 2023 when Vladimir Semirunniy wrote to Konrad Niedźwiedzki asking for help so he could train with the Polish national team and compete in Poland’s colors. The matter went to the Polish Speed Skating Association, then to the ministry, and ultimately the application to grant Polish citizenship to the Russia-born athlete landed on the desk of the newly sworn-in President Karol Nawrocki. From the end of last summer, Semirunniy has held a Polish passport—something he has repeatedly said means a great deal to him.

He has often emphasized how proud he is to represent Poland. He is pleased that it was under the white-and-red flag that he won a silver medal at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. “I’m winning this medal for Poland. The only way I can thank Poland is by winning medals—and I did it. Thank you very much to the President and to Konrad Niedźwiedzki for truly helping me reach my goal and my dream,” he said—though not everyone was convinced.

After Semirunniy claimed Olympic silver in spectacular fashion, Polish fans flooded social media with praise for his success and talent. But there were also less favorable comments. Some pointed out that he was not born in Poland and questioned his “Polishness.” Konrad Niedźwiedzki, the head of Poland’s Olympic mission, responded to those voices.

“I understand that his place of birth in the passport isn’t Polish, but he lives in Poland, is in a Polish club, has a Polish girlfriend, speaks Polish, has learned the national anthem ‘Mazurek Dąbrowskiego’ and has already sung it in Tomaszów. There are certainly people who have a problem with themselves, and those are probably the ones writing things like that,” he said.

It seems, however, that these arguments do not reach everyone. Panczenko—an activist who presents herself as a “leader of the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland” and a co-organizer of Euromaidan in Warsaw—has drawn particular attention for her post. She says she cannot forgive Semirunniy for his Russian roots.

“In 2019 you go to occupied Crimea. In 2023 you proudly represent criminal Russia. And then suddenly—snap—in 2025 you get Polish citizenship at lightning speed so that in 2026 you can go to the Olympics already as a ‘Pole through and through.’ You win a medal and suddenly everyone sees only the disc, as if earlier decisions have magically evaporated,” her post reads.

That, however, was only a prelude to a longer comment published on the Euromaidan–Warsaw profile. The authors describe Semirunniy as a “Master of Sport of International Class in Russia” who, “after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, trained and competed under the Russian flag.” They note that the young athlete arrived in Poland “only” in 2023 and received a Polish passport less than two years later.

“It took just a dozen or so months for a representative of an aggressor state to become a ‘Polish’ medalist. At the same time, Ukrainian athletes are dying because of Russian aggression. Their careers end not because of injuries, but because of bombs. Others—showing solidarity with victims—face sporting consequences for gestures of support,” the post argues, recalling the case of Vladyslav Heraskevych’s disqualification.

“Of course it’s worth celebrating a medal for Poland. But it’s not worth pretending history doesn’t exist. This is a Russian who, just recently, represented a country waging a brutal war. Sport doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The flag on a suit can change faster than a biography—but you can’t erase a biography,” the statement concludes.