Ukrainian footballer of Cork City, Andriy Kravchuk, has spoken about his feelings at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Andriy Kravchuk- I was asleep when my mum called me. Her first words were, "Russia is bombing us". I couldn't believe what I was hearing - about bombing, about 100,000 soldiers marching on Kiev.
When I was a child, Russia and Ukraine were like brothers. Many Russians and Ukrainians married each other. People from both countries lived next to each other. I tried to understand how Russia could start a war in the 21st century. I can't find words to describe it yet. I immediately realised that I couldn't stay at Torpedo Moscow.
We had the first world war, the second world war, and now the third. So many of our cities - Bakhmut, Mariupol and others - have been destroyed. 500,000 people have been killed or injured. I am very upset. I worry about my family all the time. They are safe now, but there are times when I call home and hear the sounds of drone attacks in the background," Kravchuk told The Athletic.
