Former international soccer player Igor Denisov, at 38, has become one of the few high-level Russian athletes to criticize his country’s offensive in Ukraine and take a stand against the conflict.
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“For me, it wasn’t even a scare but a horror” and “a catastrophe,” Denisov said in a lengthy interview broadcast Wednesday on YouTube, referring to his reaction when he learned of the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
“I don’t know, maybe for these words they will put me in jail or kill me, but I will tell you the facts,” Denisov continued before making it clear that “I love my country” and that he has no intention of leaving Russia.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian population has suffered unprecedented repression. The authorities have introduced a law that provides for up to 15 years in prison for any publication of information about the army that they deem false, including simply using the words “war” or “invasion” to describe the intervention in Ukraine, hence the fear of reprisals expressed by Denisov during the interview for his words.
“I want everything to be good and calm here,” continued Denisov, who confessed that the first nights after the start of the Russian offensive he did not sleep because he was “under shock.”
Letter to Putin: “I am ready to kneel before you”
Denisov also reveals that he even wrote to Vladimir Putin asking him to stop the military operation in Ukraine. “I told him, ‘I’m ready to kneel in front of you,'” he explained.
Denisov spent most of his career at Zenit Saint Petersburg and Lokomotiv Moscow until his retirement in 2019. He was capped 54 times by Russia and went on to be captain.
Already supported the opponent Navalny
Denisov had already spoken out in January 2021 in favor of opponent Alexeï Navalny after being arrested upon his return from Russia after several months abroad.
Few Russian athletes have spoken out against the intervention in Ukraine, especially among those living in Russia. On the first day of the operation, striker Fedor Smolov, formerly of Celta and currently at Dinamo Moscow, posted a message on Instagram expressing his opposition.