"I's just crying."
Oleksandr Zinchenko broke down in tears during an emotional interview about Russia's invasion of his homeland Ukraine on
BBC Football Focus.
The Man City defender was asked by Gary Lineker what goes through his mind when he sees the horrifying images of his home country destroyed by bombs. Zinchenko responded: "I'm just crying. I promise you, I'm just crying.
"I can drive the car from the training ground, or it doesn't matter where, I can just cry from nothing, because it's everything in my head," he added.
"Imagine the place where you were born, where you were growing up, and there is just empty ground."
The 25-year-old then spoke of the pride that comes with being Ukrainian right now after Lineker mentioned the bravery of both the political leaders and the general population.
"I am so proud to be a Ukrainian one, and I will be forever, for the rest of my life," he said.
"When you're watching the people, how they fight for their lives... There is no words, you know?" he added, struggling to hold back the tears.
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"I know the people, the mentality of the people from my country. They prefer to die, and they will die, but they are not going to give nothing," he said with a typical defiance.
He went on to explain why Russia's claim that the ongoing invasion is a "security operation" is nonsense, saying he can show anyone "one million pictures, one million videos" of the destruction caused.
"This is the real war. We need to stop this."
