"I'm So Disappointed" - Oleksandr Zinchenko Is Furious With Former Teammates' Reaction To Ukraine Invasion
"'I'm so sorry Alex, but we can't do anything.' Of course you can."
Oleksandr Zinchenko is furious with former teammates who have stayed silent while Russia invade his home country of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin ordered troops to begin an invasion of Ukraine back in February and the conflict is ongoing, with a massive amount of casualties.
Manchester City defender Zinchenko is a prominent Ukraine international and discussed the war in a recent interview with The Guardian.
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The 25-year-old spent two seasons with Russian outfit FC Ufa before moving to City in 2016 and considered his teammates to be friends.
He's dismayed by their lack of action since Russia's invasion however and it's seen him question the friendship.
"I have friends over there, a small circle, but now it has reduced almost to nothing," Zinchenko explained.
"I'm so disappointed. The guys I know called me as soon as the invasion happened, texted me: 'I'm so sorry Alex, but we can't do anything.' Of course you can.
"If you stay silent it means you support what is happening in Ukraine right now, and I can't see why they would. Maybe they are scared, because we see pictures on social media of Russians being taken to prison if they protest. But look at footballers in particular, or anyone with a massive audience.
"Can you believe that, if all of them posted something on Instagram at the same time saying: 'Guys, we are against the war, we need to stop it,' they would all be arrested? Of course they would not. And it’s such a shame that they say nothing."
Zinchenko embraced with Everton defender and fellow Ukraine international Vitaliy Mykolenko when City travelled to Goodison Park days after the invasion started.
City have publicly backed Zinchenko and he was named captain for City's 2-0 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup last month.
Fans regularly bring Ukraine flags to the Etihad to show support to their player.
A number of Ukraine internationals have been backed by supporters in emotional scenes.
Andriy Yarmolenko scored two games in a row for West Ham United after returning from compassionate leave last month.
Yarmolenko travelled to Poland while away to collect his family, who had fled Ukraine.
Benfica's Roman Yaremchuk, meanwhile, was reduced to tears after receiving a standing ovation from the Estadio da Luz crowd.
He was then given the captain's armband by Jan Vertonghen.
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Manchester City
Daniel Marland