Dynamo U-19 midfielder Roman Salenko recalled the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and how he felt at the time.
Roman Salenko (photo: fcdynamo.com)- When were you most afraid during the war? Was there such a moment?
- Of course! In the first days when it all started. I was with my family then, still recovering from surgery. I couldn't walk properly, I was on crutches. We didn't know what to do then. So I stayed at home all that time. Irpin, Bucha, and Gostomel are not far from my home. 10 kilometres away. I can say that I saw everything that was happening there.
- How did you feel then?
- I still feel it. I'm still scared for my family. Not for what will happen to you, but for your family.
- Who told you that the war had started and what was your reaction to it?
- I was just in a stupor. My parents were thinking about what to do. I just sat and watched the news on my phone. That was all.
- Could you imagine that a full-scale invasion would actually begin?
- Honestly, I didn't think so. There had been a lot of reports about it a month before, but I didn't believe it until the last moment. I just let the news pass me by and couldn't take it seriously. It took me a while to realise at night that there was a noise. I thought it was the door opening. At the first explosions, I thought it was not explosions, but a door.
- You have relatives in Russia. Do you keep in touch with them now?
- No, I don't. Even before that, I rarely communicated with them. And when the war started, I didn't even say anything to them.
- In the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, all the famous people from our country who had influence on the Russians tried to reach out to them somehow. To explain what was happening here. We are talking about various people in show business or sports. Have you had any such attempts to explain to your relatives that Russia has brazenly attacked Ukraine? To prove that this is not fiction, not fake news, as they said at the time.
- Well, that was more of a conversation with my father. But honestly, we ended it right there. There was no chance. They all knew what was going on, but they didn't believe everything we told them.
Nazariy SHMIGIL
