Ukrainian defender of London’s Arsenal Alexander Zinchenko in the autobiographical book "Believe" spoke about why he moved to Russian "Ufa" in 2015.
Alexander Zinchenko"There was great pressure on me to do what the club wanted. I was alone, isolated, running in circles, thinking I was being punished for not doing what the club wanted. I believe they made an example out of me, sending messages to others: 'This is what happens to a player who does not extend their contract.'
The first phase of the war began in February 2014, when Russia illegally occupied Crimea with very little resistance. In April, they started trouble in Donbas, when pro-Russian militants began to seize cities.
Our stadium was hit by bombs, the first team had to play home games in Lviv, 1,200 kilometers away, at the other end of the country. Meanwhile, Russian passports were being handed out to everyone, and Donetsk was proclaimed a Russian city.
I didn’t understand what was happening. Up to that point, I had paid very little attention to politics. I was still very focused on my football career. That was everything to me. I was only worried that I would have to leave Shakhtar because I wasn’t being allowed to play.
I know that some people ask why I decided to go to Russia at that time. Believe me, it is not something I would ever do again. But I had no other options. I had neither a club nor the opportunity elsewhere in Europe. In fact, even in Russia, I had no options. But my agent had certain connections there, and we figured it was my best chance.
Why couldn't I just try at another Ukrainian club? Shakhtar was too powerful in that regard. If I had approached another club, they would simply block me. No club could stand up to them. It was unreal. I felt like a little bird in a cage in Ukraine, a trap with no way out. I had to leave the country," Zinchenko wrote.
