Brazilian soccer players from Ukraine’s two biggest clubs have issued an appeal to the Brazilian government, saying they are trapped by the Russian military attack on Ukraine.
A group of Brazilian players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv, along with Dynamo’s Uruguayan player Carlos de Pena, posted a video together with their families on Thursday from a hotel where they called for support from the Brazilian authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced martial law across the country Thursday, and the nation’s top-tier soccer league has been postponed as Russian forces launch a military assault.
“Here we are all gathered, Dynamo and Shakhtar players, with our families, staying here at the hotel because of the situation,” Shakhtar defender Marlon Santos said in a video that shows the players with their families.
“We are here asking for your help, due to the lack of conditions in the city, closed borders, closed airspace. There’s no way we can get out. We ask a lot of support from the government of Brazil, which can help us.”
There are 35 Brazilian soccer players competing in Ukraine.
