Igor Belanov talks about his acquaintance with Sergei Shoigu

The legendary Dynamo Kiev forward Igor Belanov told Josimar Football how he happened to meet the war criminal Sergei Shoigu.

- If you were to meet with Shoigu and, say, Vladimir Putin, what would you say to them?

- I would not want to meet Putin. He is an egocentric person, he is in love with himself. There is no point in telling him anything. Shoigu was a nice guy when I met him. I remember I forgot my shorts at home before an exhibition match. Shoigu is not a very good player, so he always wanted the best to play in his team. He asked me where my shorts were, I told him I had forgotten them at home. He left instantly and came back five minutes later with a new pair. It's not often that generals bring you football shorts, is it? Honestly, I don't want to tell him anything right now. What difference does it make?

- How do you see the war ending ?

- I think the end of the war is very close. I think Putin has realised the huge mistake he has made. Russia will do everything to win. When we drink, I tell my friends: let's not drink to victory, because there will be no victory anyway. We will not conquer Russia, it is impossible. The country is too big. But we will not lose this war either. We will not give up. This war united us, it made us stronger. Of course, we are paying a huge price. A price we never wanted to pay.