Former Cardiff City winger Kadeem Harris is "praying for his team-mates" at Metalist Kharkiv amid the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
WalesOnline spoke with Harris the evening before Russian troops began their invasion into eastern Ukraine, a move which has preceded what is now widespread fighting across the country.
When speaking to WalesOnline, Harris, who moved to the Ukrainian second-tier leaders in the summer, admitted it was a concerning time for him, his family and his Metalist team-mates. ( You can read the full interview with Kadeem here .)
The landscape has changed drastically over the last week, of course, but Harris confirmed to WalesOnline this weekend that he was still in Turkey, where Metalist had been during the off-season as the Ukrainian league is currently in its winter break.
Harris also told us that the Metalist management wanted the team to stay together at this time but have confirmed him returning to the UK was a possibility as they monitor the situation.
Now, though, the former Sheffield Wednesday and Bluebirds player has written for the first time publicly on Instagram to offer his support to the people of Ukraine.
Writing on Instagram, he said: "I'm still in shock from the events that have taken place in the last few days! A country that welcomed me with open arms.
"A country full of clean-hearted people are now under attack because they refuse to be bullied.
"I pray for Ukraine, I pray for my teammates whose families are in the middle of this disaster and I pray it all comes to an end asap! Thank you for all the messages and phone calls of concern. I can confirm I am safe and not in the country. Pray for Ukraine."
In response to the Instagram post, Cardiff City's Josh Murphy commented with love hearts and a pray emoji to show support. Similar messages were posted by ex-Bluebirds Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Omar Bogle in response to Harris' post.
Metalist were due to return from their winter break on March 1, however last week Ukraine confirmed that football in the country was suspended for a minimum of 30 days owing to the military attacks from Russia.
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