My people would rather die than give up, says Man City's Ukrainian star Zinchenko
Zinchenko is one of several Ukrainian footballers plying their trade abroad, and an emotional Manchester City star stated it is tough for him to look on as his nation suffers.
FollowEven as Russian forces wage war on Ukraine, Manchester City's Ukrainian star Oleksandr Zinchenko has opened up about what has been an extremely difficult week for himself and his motherland. The fullback has also thanked the world for offering support while adding that he wished he could return to Ukraine and join the fight to protect his home from Russian forces.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has gripped the world with horror, with the football community impacted in the same manner as the rest of society. Zinchenko is one of several Ukrainian footballers plying their trade abroad, and an emotional Manchester City star stated it is tough for him to look on as his nation suffers.
Also read: Ukraine war: Shakhtar Donetsk youth team coach 'killed by Russian bullet'
"I'm just crying. It's already [been] a week - I'm not counting - but even when I drive the car from the training ground, I can just cry from nothing," the 25-year-old told Gary Lineker during an interview with BBC Sport.
"It's everything in my head. Imagine the place where you were born, where you were growing up, and there is just empty ground. I can show you one million pictures and videos of every city in my country which they destroyed. A security operation? Impossible. This is a real war. What they are doing is not acceptable. We need to stop this. People there are sending me facts… they are starving. People are just surviving, sleeping underground and in bunkers," Zinchenko added.
Despite what his country has been enduring since Russia's invasion, the Manchester City fullback has continued training and was also captain of Tuesday's FA Cup win at Peterborough United. However, Zinchenko revealed that he would have been on the frontlines fighting for his country's freedom if not for his family.
Also read: Everton's Ukrainian star Mykolenko brands Russia's captain Dzyuba 'silent b***h'
"I'll be honest, if not for my daughter, my family, I would be there," the Ukraine international added.
Zinchenko added, "I'm just born like that. I know the people from my country, the mentality of them and all of them think exactly the same."
"I'm so proud to be Ukrainian, and I will be forever for the rest of my life. And when you're watching the people, how they fight for their lives… there are no words. I know the people, the mentality of my people from my country, they prefer to die, and they will die. But they're not going to give [up]," the Manchester City star asserted.
Several footballers and coaches have taken up arms to fight, with Vitalii Sapylo, 21, and Dmytro Martynenko, 25, losing their lives in combat to become the first football casualties of the conflict this week.
Also read: Football world mourns death of two Ukrainian players; hail them as heroes
Thanking people for their support, Zinchenko added, "I'm so grateful to all these people for the support I'm getting here. I didn't realise it was going to be like that in this way. So I would like to say all of them big thanks. I appreciate it."
"I'm getting a lot of messages from a lot of guys in Ukraine, and they are asking me about the videos of support [from the UK]. So people are watching TV, the people are still watching football, and they can see all these things, and I guess it helps a lot for them. It's like, the people who are supporting Ukraine, they are trying to push them - don't give up. And I know my people they won't," he concluded.
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