Manchester City star Oleksandr Zichenko, the Ukrainian fullback has finally broken his silence and given his two cents on the Ukraine-Russia war going on right now.
The Russian-Ukrainian war saw the sports world affected a lot as multiple sporting organizations including the UEFA and FIFA committees have banned all Russian sides from competing there and have allowed Russian athletes to continue playing under a neutral flag.
“At midnight UK time, my wife woke me up and she was crying,” Zinchenko told BBC.
“I was in shock. She showed me the videos, the pictures, what’s going on now in Ukraine. Maybe the most closest feeling is when someone from your circle is dying. You know, this feeling like you feel so bad inside. But this is even much more worse. I’m just crying,” he said. “So already a week, I’m not counting, but even I can drive the car from the training ground, or it doesn’t matter where, I can just cry from nothing.
“It’s everything in my head. Imagine the place where you was born, where you was growing up. And there is just empty ground.”
“I’ll be honest, if not for my daughter, my family, I would be there,” he said.
“I’m just born like that. I know the people from my country, the mentality of them, and all of them, they think exactly the same.
“I know the people, the mentality of my people from my country, they prefer to die, and they will die. But they’re not going to give [up].”
“I’m so grateful,” he said. “I’m so grateful to all these people for the support I’m getting here. I didn’t realise it’s going to be like that in this way. So I would like to say all of them big thanks. I appreciate it.