Kravets: I want to go to war, to be on the front line to help my people

It has been a tough time for Ukrainians of late, with Russia starting a war by invading the country this week, and plenty of footballers in Europe’s top leagues have been personally affected by what’s happening in their homeland.

One of those is Sporting Gijon left-back Vasyl Kravets, who is ready to go to war to help his country.

“We’re screwed,” Kravets said in an interview with Radio MARCA’s A Diario. “They’re killing people, civilians, in hospitals, and it’s all Putin’s fault.

“I don’t want to say it’s Russia’s fault. It’s Putin’s.

“We’re a country who want to live in peace. We don’t want to attack anyone. We want to live well and calmly.

“To tell you the truth, I want to go to war and help my people. But I can’t help because I don’t know how to shoot, how to move, how to reload a gun. But the truth is that I want to help.

“If I could go, I would go and defend my territory.”

Meanwhile, Kravets’ family remain in Ukraine, and the player receives regular updates from those still in the country.

“I don’t sleep at all,” Kravets added. “My mother calls me, she hears gunshots. I’m training but I’m thinking about my country, my family.

“My wife cries 10 times a day. They’re fine but scared to death.

“I call and I try to tell them to cheer up. They thank me, but I can’t do anything. Then I call again after 30 minutes.

“Almost all of the airports are blocked. If my country needs everyone to defend the country, then I’m leaving. I’ll speak to my club and I’ll leave.”

Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, also plans to take up arms to defend against Russia’s invasion along with his brother, Wladimir.

Vitali Klitschko, who has been the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, since 2014, said he was ready to fight.

“I don’t have another choice, I have to do that. I’ll be fighting,” the 50-year-old, known as Dr Ironfist during his boxing days, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR