The well-known Ukrainian coach Myron Markevich gave an interview to the Polish media, in which he spoke about his current life in warring Ukraine.
Miron Markevich (photo: D. Rudenko)— How are you coping with the current situation?
— I live in Lviv. There is no light, it is often turned off, there is no water. We have our problems, but it's not so bad. People in the east are in a more difficult situation.
— Do the lights turn off often?
- For three or four hours or overnight. However, we all understand well. Such a situation, what can we do…
— Did you experience dangerous moments in this war?
“Five rockets flew past my house. I saw how they flew. One fell three kilometers from my house.
— Were you scared then?
“Perhaps I was not so much afraid, but it was an unpleasant sight. However, in the East people experience it every day. This is 100% war. And I worked for nine years in Kharkiv, two years in Dnipro, two in Zaporozhye - I spent a total of 15 years in the east of Ukraine.
— You must have many friends there?
- Of course, when the war started, about 20 people from Kharkov moved in with me.
— How did you place them?
“Someone stayed with me, someone with their eldest son, someone with a half-sister, we accepted everyone. They lived with us for more than six months. But the Poles also accepted refugees. And if I have such an opportunity, I would like to thank them for this.
— Have you thought about leaving Ukraine? Age allows you to do this legally.
— My grandchildren live in Spain, and I visit them from time to time. But then I always come back because I'm needed here. We buy something for the army. The guys call and say what they need, and I buy it.
— What exactly are you buying?
- Drones, thermal imagers... Anything they ask. I invest money, and someone organizes it. I have been helping the army since 2014. He started when he worked in Dnepr. All the players of this club helped. Now I buy with my family. My sons are also involved. The eldest son Ostap works in Poland, the second one is with me in the country.
— Are you not afraid that he might be drafted into the army?
- Due to a certain problem, he cannot join the army, but he would like to. When the war started, my sons were eager to fight, but I told them to calm down, because they have children, but, of course, they should help. As I said, we support the army, but I can't talk about the details, it's a secret.
— Did you lose a loved one during this war?
- Not a relative, but a friend with whom I played football. Many other people died. How long will it last? Let's see, maybe someone will remove this dwarf from the Kremlin, and something will change. If not, then the war, unfortunately, is unlikely to end soon.
— You have lived with Russians in the USSR most of your life...
- Yes, I lived in the Soviet Union for 40 years, this is most of my life. Those were different times. Now this is our Ukraine, and they won't let us live.
— Do you have Russian friends?
— For almost 30 years, I have no friends in Russia.
— In Ukraine, even now there is a championship...
- In this situation, it is very difficult to play football, but the Ukrainian championship is held. We managed to finish the autumn part. Matches were played, but on alarm they were interrupted. It's good that the players are playing, but just a few years ago everything was different. Well, who would have thought that this would happen.
— When you took Dnipro to the Europa League final in Warsaw in 2015, the war was already on.
— Yes, it started in 2014, but only in the far east, and now all of Ukraine is suffering, and I don’t know what will happen next.
— Are you still thinking about returning to the coaching bridge?
- I would like to work more, but everyone looks at my age and says that I am old (Markevich will turn 72 on February 1 - ed.).
— Mircea Lucescu is six years older than you and manages Dynamo Kyiv.
- We will see. When Shevchenko left the national team, I had to coach her. I was waiting for an offer, but did not wait, there were nuances.
Maciej KALISHUK
