The Belarusian coach of Lviv, Oleg Dulub, commented on the anniversary of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I always make this analogy in relation to the current events, even if I exaggerate. You live in an apartment. An alcoholic neighbor walks in and says, 'I don't like your curtains, wallpaper, and books.' He starts to sway you. Even though it's not the neighbor's apartment. Not only does he just barge in, he tries to kill and rape. The reaction of a normal person is to defend himself.
A year of war... I feel like ten years have passed. Sometimes I remember what happened before the attack on Ukraine: we were returning from Turkey, getting ready for the championship. On February 24, we were supposed to go to the game in Alexandria... We got a call at five in the morning from Belarus, that everything had started.
The first days of war: the anxiety, the uncertainty... When we left for Poland on March 3, we saw refugees all the time. Women, children... Someone was in a state of shock. Such things are hard to convey with words, you have to see them. In Warsaw, too, all the time I met people who fled from the war. I will not forget those moments.
Then the championship of Ukraine has started... On October 10, there was a bombing of Lviv - a new and very emotional moment. The rocket fell down near our hotel. A series of explosions - we went down to the bomb shelter. Then there were more explosions... Then there were blasts all over Ukraine. It is hard to believe that a year included so many events.
My attitude to this state - Russia - has changed drastically. I used to enjoy sports successes of Russians in the international arena. Soccer, the Olympics. Worried about them, when many people were persecuted. But now everything is burnt out from the inside. It probably takes a long time for the wounds to heal. How long does new grass grow on a scorched field?", Dulub said.