Ukraine will be even stronger

- Sergii, this is the second time your family has experienced the Russian aggression, when you have to leave your home and go away. Could you imagine that this would happen again?

- Of course not, we weren’t ready for this, we didn’t think about it and didn’t believe in this development of the situation until the last moment. They have ruined our lives for the second time, they are forcing us to leave our home. But today I believe a hundred percent in our victory – it's just a matter of time. I want to return and will be back in Ukraine where I will continue to live with my family.

- You recently joined Shakhtar. How did you keep fit and where did you stay?

- We spent the first days of the war in Kyiv, lived down in a parking lot literally, we didn’t even go upstairs to the apartment. Then we decided to take the kids away because we were primarily concerned with their lives. We didn't want them to see those explosions, all that horror. We went to Bucharest, I left with my family as I am a father of many children. I trained there and recovered. On February 26, I was supposed to have my second CT scan done, but due to hostilities I couldn’t undergo a medical examination, I worked out on my own, built muscles on my legs and arms. Now I’ve arrived at the club camp, the doctors said that I’m physically fit and just need some time to get my ankle adapt to it, after which I will train. I’ve already started to do runs changing the direction. I guess that in a week and a half I will be fully ready.

- So you will join the national team?

- Well, probably not at the early stage. I’ve had a word with Mr Petrakov, if I recover and the national team need me, then, of course, I will gladly join them. But for now I'm recovering.

- You haven't seen your teammates for nearly a month and a half since the beginning of the war. How did you feel when you met them again?

- We exchanged regular text messages, we’ve created a lot of groups and several relief funds. So we kept in touch, but still I missed them. My wife and I once had a lesson of English, and the teacher asked what we wanted the most at that moment, and I said that I wanted to join the team, see the guys, the coaching staff – just everyone. Because I was missing them so much...

- How do the coaching staff support you, the Ukrainians, now?

- Very well. They have shown that they are devoted to Shakhtar and committed to Ukraine. They stayed with the team, came here – this can be only respected.

- Manor Solomon and Marlon also joined the team. What do you make of the foreigners’ act?

- In principle, the current training camp isn’t mandatory for us, so if the guys get some match practice and the opportunity to train, I don’t blame them in any way for making that decision. In the current situation no one should be blamed. The foreign players experienced a difficult period in their lives – they ended up in a foreign country, being threatened by bomb explosions. They need to recover mentally, to stay with their families for some time.

- Going back to the national team topic, what do you think are Ukraine's chances against Scotland?

- I think our chances are really high, just as they were before the war. Dynamo have spent a decent number of days at the training camp, Shakhtar are also having a good training camp. Those are the base clubs for our national team, and all the guys, as far as I can see, are in good shape at the moment.

- How do you like the whole idea of holding charity matches? How do these games affect the players’ form?

- First of all, of course, we need those matches to help Ukraine. But at the same time, in this case we can kind of ‘kill two birds with one stone’: both help the country and get in shape through these games. It will be much more useful than for the guys just to sit in Ukraine and do nothing to help.

- Will we be able to see the Ukraine team in Qatar?

- Of course, I hope so. I’ve never been to Qatar, I hope this will be an occasion to go there.

- What will be additional motivation for the players in those international matches?

- First of all, we mustn’t lose face. Considering the way our warriors fight, our performance must correspond to their level and, in this tough period, bring joy to our fans, people in Ukraine.

- What do you think Ukraine will be like after our victory?