A Ukrainian footballer based in Spain has stated that he wishes to fight and is willing to put his career on hold in order to do so.
Following Russia’s invasion of his country on Thursday February 24, the defender Vasyl Kravets has been excused from training with his colleagues at Sporting Gijon in the second division.
The fighting continued into Friday, with Ukrainian forces taking to the streets of Kyiv before gunfire and explosions erupted as they fought for control of the capital against Russian forces.
Left-back Before blaming Russia’s president for the instability in Ukraine, Kravets said in an emotional interview that he is willing to go to battle despite not knowing how to reload a rifle.
‘They are killing people, civilians, in hospitals… it’s all Putin’s fault,’ Kravets told Spanish radio station Radio Marca. ‘I don’t want to say it’s Russia’s fault, but it’s Putin’s fault.’
‘We are a peaceful people who want to live in peace.’ We don’t want to attack anyone; instead, we want to live a happy and peaceful life. I tell it like it is: I want to go to war and assist my people.
‘However, I can’t assist since I don’t know how to shoot, maneuver, or reload a gun…but the truth is that I want to assist.’
‘I would go if I could – to protect my country.’ It is a requirement for Ukrainians’ hearts.’
‘Almost all of our airports are closed,’ says the 24-year-old defender. If my country requires everyone’s help to defend it
Kravets went on to describe the heinous problems his family in Ukraine is facing, revealing that his worry for his loved ones keeps him awake at night.
‘I phone and say, ‘Cheer up,’ and they respond, ‘Thank you,’ but there’s nothing else I can do.’ ‘And then I call again after 30 minutes,’ Kravets continued.
‘I don’t get much sleep. My mother dials my number because she hears gunfire… I’m in training, but all I can think about is my homeland, my family…
‘My wife tears eight or ten times a day, it’s horrible; they’re terrified.’
‘It’s Putin’s fault, entirely Putin’s,’ Kravets continued.
‘Some country will have to send its armaments into Ukraine.’ We are capable, but we require assistance. We don’t want to die, yet we don’t want to live forever.