Sports above Politics - Ukraine & Russia United by Kiting!

Three men - united by kiteboarding
Three men from politically opposed countries have spent 12 hours on the water in an attempt to end conflict between Russia and Ukrain.

Maxim from Russia, Stanislav from Ukraine and Juuso from Finland all kited from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, a distance of 279km in 12 hours - setting a world record for a group crossing, non stop.

Labelled 'Sports above politics', the three kiteboarders wanted to show that despite the conflict between countries, their citizens are perfectly capable of being mates. Maxime Ivanov explained further: "We don't like the relationships between our countries, which are fraternal peoples and neighbours… we hope that our project contributes to peace and mutual understanding between countries."

Check out the video shot during their crossing, (with subtitles so you know what's going on) to find out exactly how this unique and inspirational kiteboarding expedition came about.