Ukrainian soccer star confronts reality of war on first visit home since invasion

Ukrainian soccer star Oleksandr Zinchenko said his first trip back to his home country since the Russian invasion was hard to wrap his head around.

The 26-year-old Arsenal star was forced to watch from afar the devastation that has spread across Ukraine but has continued to use his platform to raise awareness of his country’s plight.

Despite playing several times for his national team since the start of the war, the defender has not been able to make it home amid the busy Premier League fixture list, but with the English football season now over, he has been able to witness the reality of war in first hand.

“It’s completely different when you see all this news on your cell phone, from afar,” he told CNN reflecting on his trip.

“First of all, I would like to say that I am very happy to be back in my land where I was born and raised, and where I feel the best within me.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure I have enough emotions to show it to other people when you see all these things. But in my head, there are many thoughts.”

Driven to make a difference, Zinchenko recently became an ambassador for United 24 – a fundraising organization set up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – and is spearheading an initiative to rebuild a school, alongside legendary former Ukrainian football star Andriy Shevchenko. .

The pair organized a charity match to be played at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in London on 5 August, with funds earmarked for the rebuilding project.

Violence remains a reality for many across Ukraine. On Thursday, Ukraine’s military said it shot down 10 Russian missiles that were fired at Kiev overnight.

At least three people were killed by falling debris, including a nine-year-old girl and her mother, as they tried to enter a closed air-raid shelter, according to national police.

rebuilding a school

Both Zinchenko and Shevchenko visited the school in Chernihiv Oblast, north of Kiev, which had been damaged by a Russian missile.

United 24 says no one was injured in the attack, but classrooms were largely destroyed, meaning children in neighboring villages had to find alternative ways to study.

“We hear a lot of human stories,” Shevchenko told CNN hours after visiting the school with his eldest son and Zinchenko.

“These stories come from kids who were basically there when the full-scale invasion started.”

“These stories come from children and tell the whole true story about how the soldiers occupied the city. When they entered the houses, obviously the children were scared.”

“We can rebuild everything, but the most important thing is to take war out of children’s lives.”

“This project today, to rebuild the school, is very important. Very important just to give the right signal and message.”

The former captain of Ukraine and manager of the national team previously told CNN who had been deeply affected by the war and admits to being “touched personally” by his visit to the school this week.

He, along with many other Ukrainian sports stars, has responded to Zelensky’s call to keep Ukraine in the headlines and sees it as his duty to speak to the media on these topics.

“I take every opportunity in public and in interviews to remind people that the war is still going on in Ukraine,” he says.

“We defend the most important foundation of freedom of democracy and our people, our soldiers, risk their lives to protect our country, to defend our country. For me, it is an honor to represent and help my country.”

Both Zinchenko and Shevchenko have children, which they say made the school visit even harder to witness.

Zinchenko, who last month announced that he and his partner were expecting a second child, warned that the scars of war will run deeper than many realize.

“I feel like being a father, I really feel pain,” he says.

“These kids don’t understand […] they just see the facts. Imagine that you are going to school and suddenly your school has been destroyed. For what? For what reason? This is a major injury, mentally, for the rest of their lives. This is what people need to know.”

“Imagine your child going to school and then one day a bomb falls and hits him. This is an injury for the rest of your life. So that’s what I would say is the scariest thing. Our children are our future.”

While many his age are fighting on the front lines, Zinchenko has tried to fly Ukraine’s flag through his sporting exploits.

He has been a national team leader and has helped his Arsenal teammates pressure Manchester City for the Premier League title.

But when asked how he has managed to balance all the emotions over the past year playing and training at an elite level, he is reluctant to dwell too long on his own personal struggles.

“It is difficult for our soldiers who are on the front lines, for the people who are risking every minute during these days to help Ukraine and defend our land. Those are the people it’s hard for,” he says.

“For me, to be honest, I would say that maybe Ukrainians are not the most talented people in the world, in football, but I am sure that our mentality and our character are very strong. We will never give up and we will adapt in every case and we will fight until the end.”

charity match

Zinchenko says it was an honor to meet President Zelensky, adding that it inspired him to continue helping his beloved country.

The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the charity match, which will see Zinchenko and Shevchenko leading opposing teams.

The match will be broadcast free of charge to Ukrainians and people have been urged to donate to the cause, with a host of modern and old players in attendance.

The two stars were reluctant to reveal too much, promising that more would be revealed in the build-up to the match.

Arsenal will be in action in the Community Shield that weekend after Manchester City beat Manchester United in the FA Cup on June 3rd, meaning Zinchekno could be forced to lose one or the other.

“We would like to keep it a secret,” Zinchekno said when pressed for the names of potential participants. “But for sure, it will be just as interesting.”