Football: Everyone is praying for Ukraine – Kharatin

– You're in Warsaw, but what about your family? Is everyone well?
– Unfortunately, my family is in Kyiv, right where the situation is the most tragic now – Igor Kharatin, Ferencváros' former Ukrainian national team midfielder who joined Legia Warszawa in Poland last September, said in an exclusive interview.

– We can't imagine what you are feeling...
– What am I feeling?! I can't find the words yet... It's unbelievable, the situation is dramatic and frightening at the same time. I talk to my family hourly; they can't leave Kyiv. I pray for them to get through these times safely. They're at home, and you can really just pray that nothing happens that would endanger them.

– What do the people at home say?
– There were incessant running fires, gunshots, explosions early morning. Warplanes and helicopters fly around in the air. One of them crashed not far from our house, the incident happened about two kilometers away. My brother and his family live in a different part of the city, where another plane crashed into a residential building close to their house. My brother and his daughter were at home and heard the noise of the impact of the crash. The building caught fire from the third to the ninth floor, and all the apartments burned down.

– This is awful...
– And this is one of Kyiv's best neighborhoods. This is not a shabby part of the city, although devastation is not selective.

– How can you even focus on football?
– I can't. My club is utterly understanding. They support me in everything; the club also uploaded a supportive short film on its social media site. Ukrainian people are now under incredible pressure. No one in the twenty-first century was prepared for such an event. Let's hope the people can handle the pressure, and they won't collapse. Everyone here in Poland is praying for Ukraine.

Translated by Vanda Orosz