Andriy Pyatov to Ukrainians: "Every day you prove that you are the strongest and best nation"

Captain of the Donetsk Shaktar and Ukraine national team Andriy Pyatov commented on the Russian aggression.

Andriy Pyatov to Ukrainians: "Every day you prove that you are the strongest and best nation"

Photo by the press service of the UAF

It feels like this has been going on forever. A terrible war, real fascism— I don’t even know how to explain it in words. One person got an idea and decided to attack a peaceful, free country. This is the worst. Like all Ukrainians, we hope that it will end as soon as possible.

On February 24th, I woke up at 5 am to the sound of something like a missile flying by, and my wife woke up just a few minutes later from an explosion. She couldn’t believe it and sat in shock, while I immediately opened my phone, read the news, and saw that war had started. Another explosion rang out right away, and we understood what needed to be done: gather the children, go down to the parking garage, hide somewhere.

I closely follow everything that is happening. We also help everyone together. Information-wise too: we need to show the world that this is Russian aggression, for which there are many facts. We see it all with our own eyes, document and fixate on it, unlike Russian propaganda where they just talk about things without presenting any facts. This is completely absurd. I maintain contacts with partners; in our team, there are groups: we help with departures and relocations, try to assist anyone who needs something, advise or do whatever else.

... Bombardments continue, the world sees it all, and children see it too. The worst thing is that our children are dying. It’s important that we show the whole world that this is truly genocide.

Famous people have influence—both media and financial. Some volunteer, others join territorial defense or enlist in the military—everyone chooses for themselves. And so we help our soldiers with everything they need. Glory to the warriors—our heroes! I would like to address all Ukrainians: every day you prove that you are the strongest and best nation. We must stick together because only we can help ourselves. We know that we have people who are strong in spirit, who will overcome everything!

— Andriy Pyatov is quoted on the official website of "Shakhtar".