Ukrainian Arsenal player Oleksandr Zinchenko shared his reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in his autobiography “Believe”.
Oleksandr Zinchenko“My first reaction was to return and fight or become a volunteer. We all wanted to be there, to defend our country. This is our Ukrainian mentality. We are born with it.
But then I spoke with all the other Ukrainian players who were abroad, and we agreed that we could be much more useful to our people from outside the country. We promised that we would continue to play football, represent our country as best as we can, and use this opportunity to speak up, so the world knows what is happening.
I am not a politician. I cannot go to the UK Parliament and give a speech. Who am I to speak? But in sports and in football, we have a chance to tell our story. And we decided we needed to take advantage of this. It’s our duty. It’s on our shoulders.
This, by the way, is not just about footballers. I know many Ukrainians who left the country many years ago before the war but have never felt more Ukrainian and do everything to help from afar. Our country is more united than ever. Friends, family, even people much older than me say they don’t remember us being so united. Every Ukrainian is trying in their own way to make a positive impact. We all work together.
Not because we want to seize any land that isn’t ours. We just want to protect ourselves and our home. I am very proud of how we reacted as a country. We help each other, we support each other, we will not stop. This is our greatest strength,” Zinchenko said.
