This week will be an incredibly emotional one for Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko and the people of Ukraine.
Friday, February 24 will mark a year since Russia invaded Ukraine and as reported by the Athletic, for this weekend's fixtures in the top-flight of English football, Premier League players will wear armbands in the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag to mark the one-year anniversary.
This will mark the Premier League's latest gesture in support of Ukraine after donating £1million to support the Ukrainian cause last March, suspending its deal with Russian broadcast partner Rambler (Okko Sport), whilst Ukraine flags have been a regular feature at football stadiums over the past year.
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In that time, Zinchenko has spoken out against the war on numerous occasions, calling on others in football to condemn Russia’s actions and his anti-war work saw him crowned Media Diversity Champion of the Year in November.
"We are honoured to have been given the opportunity to shine a light on football star Oleksandr Zinchenko," European Diversity Awards founder Linda Riley said. "[He won the award] for his truly inspirational work to fight against the atrocities being committed by Vladimir Putin and Russia in his peaceful native homeland Ukraine.
"You could hear a pin drop in the room tonight while Oleksandr was speaking and his passion to stop the war was evident for all to see. He is an upstanding member of the football community and his powerful words should resonate across the globe as people are once again shown what is going on in Ukraine.
"Truly, since the war began Oleksandr has not shied away from speaking up and giving so many helpless Ukrainians a voice by using his platform for good. He is an inspiration and fully deserving of our special Media Diversity Champion award."
Zinchenko is among five Ukrainian players in the Premier League and he could be in action on Saturday when Arsenal travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City, where Mikel Arteta's side could repeat a powerful gesture in support of their left-back.
Just under a year ago when Manchester City faced Peterborough United in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Zinchenko was named in the starting line-up for the first time since his country was invaded by Russia. At the time of the team news announcement, Fernandinho was listed as City's captain for the evening.
But 45 minutes later, it was revealed that the midfielder had passed the armband over to Zinchenko as a show of support to him and his country and the decision was praised by Pep Guardiola. " Our captain decided to give the armband to him to show how important the situation is and we are all behind his gesture. He represents his country," he told ITV Sport.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard plans on doing the same, but it would be a classy gesture on his behalf to let Zinchenko lead out the Gunners against the Foxes to mark the one-year anniversary of Ukraine being invaded by Russia.
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