Former Dynamo forward and head coach of the Ukrainian national team Andriy Shevchenko spoke about the war with Russia.
Andriy Shevchenko. Photo: Gettyimages"The last years have been very difficult. The war does not stop, it is getting worse. If you go back and remember when my mother called me on the morning of 24 February, her voice was .... It's hard to describe. She was very nervous and emotional.
For weeks we knew something might happen. There were a lot of rumours. But I couldn't believe that Russia would start a full-scale war against Ukraine. I was shocked when my mum told me this on the phone.
She was crying and said that a war had started. She heard a powerful explosion and the radio reported that Russian helicopters had entered Ukrainian territory. Important airports were hit with missiles.
After that I had a conversation with my wife. I said that I didn't know what to do: to return to Ukraine or not. I also called my friends, everyone was in shock.
Absolute chaos started as people tried to leave Ukraine, from Kiev. But my mum and my sister decided to stay. I told my mum that I could give her everything she needed outside of Ukraine, but she didn't want to.
At first it was hard because my family and friends stayed in Ukraine. We did not know Putin's and Russia's plans. But after Putin's first words it became clear that this was serious and for a long time.
The war with Russia started back in 2014, and now the second part of the war is underway. I was worried about my family, but I was also worried about the existence of Ukraine. But after a few days, I realised that Ukrainians would stand. There was Vladimir Zelensky's famous speech to the people and the world that he was staying in Ukraine and was not going to flee. People rallied around him.
As an advisor to the president, I am involved in organising charity events for Ukraine and raising funds to help Ukrainians. But I am not a member of any political party, I am just trying to help my country. Football brings people together.
I called it a false reality. Because we lived in a world that did not reflect the truth. When you live with someone who says that we are brothers and good friends.... In 1991, Ukraine won its independence. Ukrainian and Russian cultures were already different, but after that the difference was even greater.
I think the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine in 2014 happened because they wanted Ukraine to stay close. But we want to live in a separate state. Ukrainians want to live freely," Shevchenko said in a conversation with Gary Lineker.
