Football's biggest stars have began to speak out amid the devastating news that Russia have declared war on Ukraine, with players from both nations siding together against the invasion.
Vladimir Putin announced the invasion on Wednesday and horrifying images have already surfaced from Ukraine, with civilians fleeing to safe areas and away from their homes.
Football is an excellent platform to express views and voice opinion with so much global interest in the sport, and some stars have already spoken out following the breakout in Ukraine.
National icon Andriy Shevchenko is one of the high-profile names to have expressed his distress, and he has been joined by many others, as football stands against the actions of Russia.
Here Mirror Football brings you the latest football stars to plea against the invasion of Ukraine...
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko is perhaps the greatest ever player in Ukraine's history, with the former Chelsea and AC Milan star holding national records as their youngest, oldest, and all-time leading goal-scorer.
The iconic figure was also their head coach at the recent European Championships, and Shevchenko shared an emotional message to his personal Twiter account amid the news.
Shevchenko wrote: "Ukraine is my motherland! I have always been proud of my people and my country! We have gone through many difficult times, and over the past 30 years we have formed as a nation!
"A nation of sincere, hard-working and freedom-loving citizens! This is our most important asset!"
Roman Yaremchuk
Roman Yaremchuk was Benfica's hero on Wednesday night as he equalised against Ajax to take a 2-2 draw to Amsterdam for the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie.
Unfortunately, as Yaremchuk was scoring for Benfica, panic was spreading amongst his homeland as Russia began their invasion, and the Ukraine international sent a powerful message back in Lisbon.
As he scored, he took off his shirt to reveal a trident symbol on his black undershirt, which turned out to be the Ukrainian Association of Football's logo.
The logo has been considered a national symbol in Ukraine for over 100 years, but despite the seriousness of the subject, Yaremchuk was still booked by the referee.
Miralem Pjanic
Miralem Pjanic may not originate from either nation, but as a Bosnian citizen the midfielder has experienced the horror of war first hand, and sent a powerful message pleading against Russia's invasion.
The Bosnian war took place between 1992 and 1995, and saw the first genocide since World War 2, with over 100,000 deaths recorded, most of which Bosnian nationals.
Pjanic took to his personal Twitter to say: "I was very young when I understood the meaning of the sirens. Every time I hear them, I think about what my friends suffered.
"No children should be forced to live with this nightmare. Stop War."
Fedor Smolov
Fedor Smolov became the first Russian star to speak out, signalling that the actions of Putin are now well received by all of the Russian citizens, with a mass revolt currently underway.
Smolov condemned the actions of his nation by posting a black-out image to his Instagram profile, with the caption: "No to war!"
Following his short caption, Smolov also included a broken heart emoji alongside the Ukrainian flag, in a very brief but powerful post.
Smolov's actions have now led by example, with more Russians now speaking out.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been extremely vocal following the news, and the Manchester City defender has even attended a rally in St Peter’s Square, Manchester.
The 25-year-old took to Instagram to voice his concern as tension between his home country and Russia continues to escalate.
Alongside a photo of a map of the country, he wrote: "The whole civilised world is worried about the situation in my country. I can't stay away and try to convey my opinion.
"In the photo - my country. The country where I was born and raised. A country whose colours I defend in the international sports arena.
"A country that we try to glorify and develop. A country whose borders must remain inviolable. My country belongs to Ukrainians and no one will ever be able to appropriate it. We will not give up! Glory to Ukraine."
Ruslan Malinovskyi
Ruslan Malinovskyi is the latest Ukraine football star to speak out against the invasion, as the Atalanta midfielder netted a brace against Olympiacos to help the Italian side progress to the next round of the Europa League.
Upon scoring for the away side, Malinovskyi revealed a message under his shirt, which read: "No war in Ukraine."
Malinovskyi shares the Atalanta dressing room with Russian star Aleksey Miranchuk, although the midfielder was absent through illness on Thursday night.
It's unknown how Miranchuk feels about the invasion, but it's likely to be an emotional time for the pair at Atalanta.
