A Social Media Post Of Manchester City Star From Ukraine Who Wished For Putin To Die A Gruesome Death Deleted From Instagram

JAKARTA - Manchester City star from Ukraine Oleksandr Zinchenko has spoken out strongly against Russian President Vladimir Putin who launched a military operation against his country. He hoped the president would die in a pathetic way.

Zinchenko, who joined City in 2016 and then expressed his anger via social media Instagram after the conflict between the two countries heated up due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Citing The Sun, the 25-year-old Ukraine international midfielder posted a photo of the Russian president to his Instagram Story accompanied by the caption "I hope you (Vladimir Putin) die with the most painful suffering". However, the upload has disappeared from Instagram.

Before lashing out at Putin, Zinchenko said on Tuesday he "couldn't back down" at a time when the rest of the world was worried about his country. He also voiced this through the same platform.

"A country we are trying to glorify and develop. A country whose borders must be fixed, inviolable. My country belongs to Ukraine and no one will be able to seize it. We will not give up! Glory to Ukraine," Zinchenko wrote.

Zinchenko is not the first sporting figure to speak out against the Russian invasion. Tennis players such as Elina Svitolina also share their voices on social media with former footballer who has played for AC Milan and Chelsea, Andriy Shevchenko.

Putin's decision to launch the attack was criticized by many of the country's leaders. The full-scale invasion of the Red Bear Country is considered a violation of the Minsk agreement.

Currently, tanks from Russia have been delivered to Ukraine via the Belarusian border. Bomb explosions have also occurred in Ukraine due to attacks carried out by the Russian military.

The images circulating show Ukraine in a dire situation. The innocent people of the country had to flee as Putin's tanks slid and floated their homeland.

Millions headed west or took shelter in metro stations as explosions hit the capital Kyiv and other major cities on Thursday morning. Kyiv was rocked by several explosions and that was evident from dramatic footage showing smoke rising from buildings and loud explosions reverberating around the city.