Oleksandr Zinchenko: “One day those responsible for this hell on earth will be punished”

Ukrainian Arsenal player Oleksandr Zinchenko shared his attitude towards Russians in his autobiographical book “To Believe”.

“We must not lose faith in the Russian population, in the peaceful population. I hope that they will eventually wake up and say ‘enough’ to all the crimes committed by their government and soldiers. But after two and a half years of this nightmare, we are still waiting. Our so-called brothers did not come to our aid. They came to destroy us.

This is another hard lesson for all of us. We must teach our children and the next generation who our neighbors really are. Perhaps not all of them agree with the fact that their country is at war with us, perhaps one day they will feel ashamed, but at this moment, they all seem to unconditionally follow orders. ‘Why did you come here, raped and killed people?’ ‘Oh, sorry, I was just following orders.’ I don’t know why I came here, but I was told.”

I won’t speak about the people at the top, those who make decisions. I have nothing but contempt for them. I’m talking about ordinary people. It is obvious to me that they have been turned into zombies who watch one channel all their lives and believe everything they are told. My friend told me about this elderly woman who lived in Kharkiv when the war began. She was Russian. When the Russians started bombing the city, her granddaughter came from Germany to take her away. She refused to leave. She was convinced that Ukrainians were bombing Kharkiv because that’s what Russian media told her. I understand that it’s hard for people to grasp reality, as their brains have been washed for years, but to me, that’s no excuse. We live in a world where information is free. Listen to a few different viewpoints, and then determine what is right and what is not. Don’t just sit on the couch and swallow the lies they feed you.

I grew up thinking that those who do bad deeds must pay for it, that there is some natural justice. I don’t know if I still believe that, even if I want to. It seems to me that the more people you kill, the easier it is for you to avoid punishment. Countries are still buying Russian gas and oil, investing in their war and all this violent activity. But I want to hold on to the thought that there will be retribution. One day those responsible for this hell on earth will be punished. They must be punished. Until that time, I would completely close this country and not allow any of them to leave abroad. I would isolate them from the rest of the world, as they are terrorists,” Zinchenko said.