Brazil Players In Ukraine Stranded In Hotel Seeking Shelter, They Ask For Help In Evacuation

Illustration of Shakhtar Donetsk players (Twitter @shakhtarfc_eng)

JAKARTA - A number of Brazilian footballers playing in Ukraine on Thursday appealed for evacuation assistance to leave the country after Russia officially launched its invasion.

The players said that the Russian invasion had left them stranded in a hotel in Kyiv where they had sought refuge.

"There is no fuel, the border is closed, the airspace is closed. There is no way for us to get out," said Shakhtar centre-back Donetsk Marlon in a video posted on social media, as quoted by Antara, Friday, February 25.

"We are here with the family staying in a hotel because of the situation and we are asking the Brazilian government for help. That's why we made this video," added Marlon, one of 13 Brazilian players who plays for Shakhtar, one of Ukraine's top clubs.

The video shows about 20 people, including families of footballers, sitting and standing in a room in a hotel.

All these footballers played for Shakhtar and Dynamo Kyiv. That group includes Brazil international forward David Neres, who recently signed for Shakhtar from the Dutch side Ajax.

In addition, Uruguay's Carlos de Pena, who plays for Dynamo, was also seen.

"We feel left out, we don't know what to do," said one of the players sitting on the sofa with their children while another stood behind him.

"We took refuge here with our children. But we don't even know if there will be food to eat."

The Brazilian embassy in Kyiv said in a statement that it remained open and would work to ensure "protection for some 500 Brazilian nationals" in Ukraine, asking them to stay in contact on a daily basis.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, killing dozens as airstrikes hit military installations and ground troops moved from the north, south, and east.

Shakhtar, who played frequently in the Champions League and won the 2009 UEFA Cup, moved from Donetsk to Kyiv in 2014 when a pro-Russian separatist insurgency erupted in the east.

Its ultra-modern stadium, the Donbass Arena, was bombed that same year.

Ukraine served as a stepping stone for several Brazilian players on their way to Europe's top clubs, including Willian, Fernandinho, and Douglas Costa, all of whom played for Shakhtar.