Former Shakhtar midfielder Oleksiy Hai expressed his position on the war.
Alexey Gai- Fans can't forgive you for your performances in Russia after 2014 and your scandalous interview where you didn't call Russia an aggressor. What can you say to that now?
- There are a lot of things said about me that have nothing to do with me, such as that I am a separatist and so on. This has nothing to do with my thoughts and views. I stayed in Ukraine, I live here with my family and I love our country.
I could have stayed in Russia, but after the end of my contract with Kuban I returned home because I see my future exclusively with Ukraine.
- Do you regret your time in Kuban now?
- If I had known that everything would happen and Russia would attack us, I would never have gone there. But at that moment I had no other options to continue my career, and I really wanted to play football. Of course, it would have been better to go and play, for example, in Turkey or Poland, but unfortunately, I didn't receive any offers from those countries.
- After 24 February, did any of your former Kuban teammates call or write to you?
- No, I haven't spoken to anyone and I'm not going to do so.
- You found coach Yevhen Kaleshin at Kuban. He supported the war and recently travelled to occupied Mariupol to visit the Espanyol terrorist group.
- Really? I didn't even know that. God is his judge if he does not understand what his compatriots are doing on our land.
- What was he like when you played at Kuban?
- He treated me well, we had a working relationship. Kaleshin wasn't a cheering patriot then, and he didn't come to training wearing Putin's T-shirts.
- How much has your worldview changed compared to your interview five years ago?
- My worldview has changed completely. I was very wrong at the time and I sincerely apologise to everyone for what I said. In 2018, I did not notice obvious things.
- What were they?
- That Ukraine has been at war against the aggressor since 2014. That it was Russia that started fuelling the separatist unrest in Donbas, which led to the war. I also made the mistake of never speaking out publicly after 24 February.
- Why did you keep silent?
- During this period, I was focused on actions, not words. I never gave people who know me well any reason to doubt my pro-Ukrainian views. And the fans who do not know my position were guided by something that was not true. I made a mistake by not speaking out publicly. I've always been a patriot of my country and I'm proud of it, so I'm very worried about the unfair accusations against me.
For example, in the memorable UEFA Cup final against Werder, I was the first to take the flag of Ukraine and was very proud to be a Ukrainian.
- Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who now works in Russia and has never publicly condemned the aggressor, was very fond of waving the Ukrainian flag. What is your attitude towards him?
- I have a lot of questions about him. I am surprised by his position. He consciously made his choice, but it is incomprehensible to me.
- Until 2015, Ruslan Marmazov, who is an open representative of the 'Russian world', worked in Shakhtar's press office. What do you remember about him, did he manifest his views in any way then?
- I didn't have a close friendship with him, but I didn't notice any pro-Russian sentiments in him. He did not promote his ideas at Shakhtar in any way.
- You said that after 24 February you were focused on actions. What kind of actions?
- I help refugees and the military with equipment, but I don't want to advertise it. Good deeds like silence. I also took part in charity matches to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- When you played for Chornomorets, you were remembered for a scandalous moment when you refused to wear a T-shirt with the words "Glory to the Ukrainian Army". Are you wearing it now?
- My decision not to wear this T-shirt was in no way related to disrespect for the Ukrainian army and military. Now I realise that it was a mistake, especially against the backdrop of today's full-scale war. The incident with the T-shirt took me by surprise and I acted irresponsibly. It's in the past and I don't want to remember it.
Today, I cannot imagine anyone not wearing a T-shirt in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I respect our Armed Forces, as does the entire conscious people of Ukraine.
- When did you have your epiphany, on 24 February or earlier?
- I can say that I started to see the light immediately after my scandalous interview, but what happened happened, and I cannot rewind time. I should have expressed my position earlier so that there were fewer questions, but I am not a very public person.
- What was the impetus for you to change your mind after 2018, how did it happen?
- My views gradually changed after 2018, based on new knowledge and experience. I started to see the situation from a different perspective and reassess my beliefs. Everything finally changed after the full-scale invasion. It was the last barrier after which I saw the light.
- You used to say that Shukhevych and Bandera were enemies of Ukraine, and that they were being made into heroes. Has your position on these characters changed today?
- You know, I've been thinking about this question for a long time, since I gave that ill-fated interview. And I came to the conclusion that we were under Soviet propaganda for a long time. A lot has changed now, and this is very good. Not long ago, I came across a statement by our President that resonated with me.
"I cannot have a personal attitude to such people, to such events in such times that we read about, but we did not live there. There can't be just a personal attitude. I think that all the people who defended Ukraine's independence are its sons, its heroes. We have one step from a hero to an enemy." This is my answer.
- Aren't you afraid that after our interview, fans won't believe you and will say that Gai "changed his shoes" and spoke publicly only after the hate speech?
- Of course, this can happen, but now I'm speaking sincerely and honestly. There are bad things that happened, and I can't change them. But I have learnt from my mistakes and am moving forward. I hope the fans will forgive me, because I respect them very much.
- How do you see the end of the war?
- Only with our victory. I believe that Ukraine will prosper when peace comes.
- How do you assess Zelenskyy's performance as president?
- The President is the President. He has a great responsibility to win the war and preserve the statehood. I believe that he will succeed.
- Do you think the people of Russia are to blame for the war or is it just Putin?
- This is a difficult question. I think not all Russian people support the war, it all depends on the mood of the country's leadership. But now it's hard to separate those who support the policy of the aggressor country from those who oppose it. For me, they are all representatives of the country that is waging war against us, i.e. enemies.
- Why do you think the majority of Russians and their athletes prefer to keep silent about the war?
- Most Russians, including athletes, are silent because of the pressure of public opinion or fear of negative consequences for themselves and their loved ones.
- Russians are promoting the idea of "sport outside politics". Do you think sport can really be outside politics?
- Sport garners tens of hundreds of millions of views, a large audience, and this is exactly what politicians need. That's why sport has always been and will always be a part of politics, and in Russia, sport is used as part of propaganda.
- Are there any good Russians in your understanding?
- These are those who opposed the war, for example, Savin and Kasatkina, but they left Russia because they feared for their safety. Maybe someone inside Russia has such a position, but we don't know, because Russia thoroughly suppresses any dissent.
- If you find yourself in front of Putin with a loaded gun, will you shoot him?
- I am a believer, and killing is a sin. Let him, as a person who is guilty of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, be punished first by the international court in The Hague, and then by God. I hope that this situation will not happen to me, and I will not find myself in front of Putin with a gun.
- What would you tell him?
- That he should leave our country alone.
- Is Putin a bastard?
- Glory to Ukraine!
- Glory to the heroes!
Andriy Piskun
