An Emotional Oleksandr Zinchenko Speaks About Russian Invasion Of His Homeland In Heartbreaking Interview
"I'll be honest, if not for my daughter, my family, I would be there."
Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko says he would fighting against the Russian invasion in his homeland of Ukraine if it wasn't for his family.
It has been an agonising week for the 25-year-old full-back. Last weekend, Zinchenko and his international teammate Vitaliy Mykolenko shared a powerful embrace ahead of their Premier League clash at Goodison Park.
Zinchenko, who wore a t-shirt with the message, 'No War', was visibly emotional as they embraced during the warm-up.
Since Putin declared war on Thursday, a furious Zinchenko has been very vocal about the situation in Ukraine.
He posted a picture of Russia president Vladimir Putin to his Instagram story with the caption: “I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature" - a post he lated claimed was deleted by the social media platform.
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He also attended a peaceful vigil at in Manchester's city centre alongside hundreds of compatriots last week.
Now, in a heartbreaking interview with Gary Lineker, the City defender has spoken about the heartbreak of war.
"I'm just crying. It’s already [been] a week - I'm not counting - but even when I drive the car from the training ground, I can just cry from nothing," Zinchenko said in an emotional interview with BBC Sport.
"It's everything in my head. Imagine the place where you were born, where you were growing up and there is just empty ground.
"I can show you one million pictures and videos of every city in my country which they destroyed.
"A security operation? Impossible. This is a real war. What they are doing is not acceptable. We need to stop this.
"People there are sending me facts… they are starving. People are just surviving, sleeping underground and in bunkers."
He added: "I'll be honest, if not for my daughter, my family, I would be there. I'm just born like that. I know the people from my country, the mentality of them and all of them think exactly the same.
"I'm so proud to be Ukrainian, and I will be forever for the rest of my life. And when you're watching the people, how they fight for their lives… there are no words.
"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]."
Topics: Manchester City, Ukraine, Russia
Jack Kenmare