“I was sleeping, then I received a call.
It was my mother.
She told me the war has begun”.
On February 24, life changed for the 45 million Ukrainians.
Including for Andriy Shevchenko the former international and captain of the Ukrainian selection.
Faced with Jamie Redknapp, the former Liverpool player, in the columns of the Daily Mail, Shevchenko responded, very moved.
The 2004 Ballon d'Or notably sent a poignant message to the Russian people: “I know it's difficult, it's dangerous in Russia.
But my message is always the same, parade in the streets!
The only way to stop this war is to expose the truth and the majority of people in Russia do not know it”.
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Shevchenko's family left the city of Kyiv but stayed in Ukraine for the time being, while the former player currently lives in Italy.
Faced with the war, the ex-Milanese collected more than 350,000 euros in donations for organizations helping Ukrainians.
The former Chelsea player says: “We are fighting for our democracy, our freedom.
When you see people in the streets, who don't have the weapons to stop tanks, they are so powerful.
We have to defend ourselves until the end, Russia is not welcome”.
Shevchenko, already in tears ten days earlier, on Italian television, explained that he spoke regularly with his compatriots such as Yarmolenko, Zinchenko or Yaremchuk and encouraged them to continue fighting: "Keep playing, Its very important.
I called them, I support them permanently”.
Unity is what Andriy Shevchenko calls for, whose voice counts more than ever in this difficult period for Ukraine.