An emotional Oleksandr Zinchenko fought back the tears at a press conference ahead of Ukraine's World Cup play-off against Scotland at Hampden Park on Wednesday evening.
The Manchester City star, 25, thanked the Scots for their continued support in Ukraine 's defence against Russian aggression. Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine in February and a devastating war has raged in eastern Europe ever since.
The Scottish FA were one of the first governing bodies to refuse to play Russia and agreed to postpone their World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine following the invasion. The crucial game was initially scheduled to be played in Glasgow on March 24.