On May 1st, the Ukraine national team began preparations for the playoff matches of the 2022 World Cup and Nations League. Today, a press conference took place at the training center of the Football Association of Slovenia, which was attended by head coach of the Ukrainian national team Oleksandr Petrakov and defensive midfielder Taras Stepanenko.

"We were with 'Shakhtar' on a training camp in Turkey. We returned to Ukraine on February 20th, preparing for the resumption of the championship," said Stepanenko. "But on February 24th, full-scale war began in our country. For about a month after that, I was traveling with my family, looking for a safe place to live. During this time, I did not train."

Later, I started training with one Romanian team. When 'Shakhtar' went to Turkey, I joined them and prepared for charity matches. Now we are working at the training camp in Slovenia.

The situation is very difficult because not everyone can leave Ukraine right now. People are hiding in bomb shelters, a missile strike could happen at any moment. But now we have good conditions and enough time to prepare for the game against Scotland.

How hard is it to focus on football these days?

— Sometimes it's difficult because every day we read news about the situation in Ukraine, look at photos and videos of what's happening in our country. But we understand how important this match against Scotland is for us. We need to show ourselves as best as possible.

— How difficult is it for a player to be without games for such a long time?

This has happened before in my career. In 2014, when the war started in Ukraine, we moved from Donetsk to Kyiv but continued playing in the championship. This time, there is a war across the entire country and no possibility of holding the Ukrainian championship or other sports events. That's why it's such a bitter experience. We are trying to show ourselves at our best, it's hard to train to get into shape. Right now we have very good training sessions. I feel better every day, I think so do the guys.

— What would a victory over Scotland mean for Ukrainians?

Every day we receive messages from our soldiers and other fellow citizens. Many people in Ukraine love football. They all say only one thing: "Please do everything to qualify for the World Cup." Because this will be a moment of hope and a definite celebration for the whole country. We are not just playing a football match, we are also playing with heart and soul. This will be an extremely emotional moment for the players and our country.

— What emotions do you expect during the performance of the Ukrainian National Anthem in Scotland?

When I hear the Ukrainian National Anthem in such matches, I want to cry. This is a very emotional part of the game.

— How do you think the atmosphere will be at Hampden Park in Glasgow?

We played against Sweden there during Euro-2020. We had an historic match, we made it to the quarter-finals. So I consider this stadium suitable for us. We love football for its unpredictability, but we will try our best in this game.