On 30 May, it became known that Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper Denys Boyko became the 11th ambassador of the socially important Sports Front initiative. During the filming of a thematic address specially for the project team, he spoke about the Match for Peace #StopWarInUkraine charity matches organised in conjunction with 1+1 media, the losses suffered by the club's fan movement, and FIFA's refusal to broadcast the address of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the World Cup final.
In addition, Denys noted that international associations should first of all exclude Russians and Belarusians even under a neutral flag, so that Ukrainian athletes would not have to make difficult decisions related to boycotting the competition.
Denis Boyko- You yourself are from Kyiv, which has been in Russia's crosshairs since 24 February 2022. How do you perceive the capital now in the context of a full-scale war?
- When the full-scale war was just beginning, the capital in the new realities looked like a scary picture. Nowadays, it is also impossible to calmly perceive all the terrible things that are happening in our hometown and country. Fortunately, we have a strong people who do not give up and quickly adapt to new conditions. People continue to live and dream of only one thing - Ukraine's victory.
- Everyone is now switching to the Ukrainian language en masse. However, you made this decision long before the start of the full-scale war - in 2016. At what point did you decide to speak Ukrainian? What prompted you to do so? How did you feel about this transition?
- Unfortunately, I was brought up, studied, spoke Russian with friends and during training. To be honest, it's not always easy to switch to another language. It's a shame that we started to appreciate and think about the importance of language only after the start of the great war.
I really want the whole country to switch to Ukrainian and make a conscious choice. I want people to realise why they are doing this. Not because it is "fashionable". It's important to be yourself.
- Back in April 2022, Dynamo Kyiv launched a series of charity matches in support of Ukraine, organised in conjunction with 1+1 media. You were not only a direct participant but also helped to organise this event. In total, the charity matches and other related events raised more than UAH 80,000,000, including UAH 20,000,000 in Dortmund alone and UAH 8,000,000 in Warsaw. How emotional were these matches?
- These matches were not like friendly matches. There was no pressure to win, the score did not matter at all. The Match for Peace #StopWarInUkraine series was very important for me, all the guys and the coaching staff. In this difficult time, in a great war, we tried to give moments of comfort to all Ukrainians and especially to the IDPs who had to leave their homes and find shelter in different European cities. We tried to bring them back to the life that Russia had taken away from them, at least for a moment. We wanted to give them a breath of air to make them feel alive and needed.
It is very difficult to single out any one match. The entire series was filled with sincere emotions, as outstanding Ukrainian singers took part in these events, and orphans who lost their parents and relatives took to the pitch with us.
All club representatives made a huge contribution to these matches and this project. Every day, communicating with other players, they constantly offered their help, asking what else they could do to support the people affected by this war.
In addition to football matches, we also organised concerts in Berlin and Barcelona. During the event in Spain, a girl who was injured performed. She had always dreamed of singing with DOROFEEVA and this wish came true.
- In December 2022, FIFA rejected a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver a message of peace at the World Cup final. What is wrong with FIFA? Why does the organisation continue to tolerate the Russians and turn a blind eye to the Belarusians, who are also involved in this war? What needs to happen for the organisation, including its Putin supporter Gianni Infantino, to finally come down on the side of good (is this even possible)?
- It's a shame that the leader of our country turns to an association like FIFA to inform a large audience from all over the world about what is really happening in our country, and is refused.
The whole civilised world saw this rejection. Together with other footballers, I published an appeal from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which should have been in the World Cup final, because we have to do everything possible to help our country. We are public figures, a lot of fans are watching us, so we have to convey important messages to society. If the world doesn't hear these messages from FIFA, it should hear them from the players who are under the auspices of this organisation.
- The Ministry of Youth and Sports has decided to ban all Ukrainian national teams from participating in competitions where Russians or Belarusians may be present. Do you agree that other Ukrainian athletes should boycott the competition?
- This is a very difficult question. For me, as a representative of a team sport, it would be better to go out on the field and win, glorifying my country. To prove to everyone that the Ukrainian people cannot be broken and defeated. To show that no matter what, we are invincible - we cannot be conquered! But first and foremost, international associations should have kept Russians and Belarusians out, even under a neutral flag, so that we do not come to the point where we have to choose. It was the world organisations that should have immediately suspended representatives of the aggressor countries.
I believe that our athletes should not be deprived of their livelihood and what they do best. By competing in international competitions, our athletes once again remind us of the war in Ukraine. Our country is full of talented representatives of various sports, and we must not lose them.
- Recently, the fan movement of Dynamo Kyiv suffered losses. A fan of the club, Maksym Maksymenko, who was a soldier of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was killed in the fighting near Bakhmut. Did you know Maksym personally? How did you learn about this sad news?
- A huge number of professional athletes and representatives of fan movements voluntarily came to the defence of our country. Unfortunately, a large number of them were killed at the frontline, and more than 200 people became "Angels of Sport".
Unfortunately, I did not know Maksym Maksymenko personally. I learned this news from the club's official announcement. We are always informed of the latest information about our fans who are now at the front. He gave his life so that we could talk now and be free in the future. For me, such people are real heroes. Honour and praise to Maxim!
