Oleg Kuznetsov, a former defender for Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team, explained why he refused to move to Russia in the 1990s.
"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mikhailichenko and I went to the Euro-1992 tournament in Sweden as part of the CIS national team. After the tournament Koloskov (former Russian Football Union president - ed.) started persuading us to join the Russian national team as the 1994 World Cup was approaching. We were promised unbelievable boons: good money and a flat in Moscow for each of us.
But Mykhailichenko and I refused at once and said: "We are Ukrainians and will not play for Russia under any conditions. That was the first and the last conversation on the subject.
Kanchelskis, Onopko and Sergey Yuran agreed to the Russians' offer. They were younger and it was their choice. But Mykhailichenko and I were older and already at that time, we understood that we did not have any love for Russia. We must have felt something", Kuznetsov said.