Andriy Yarmolenko 's boyhood club in Ukraine have had their stadium left in ruins as a result of Russian shelling.
The West Ham United star began his professional career with Desna Chernihiv, having grown up there after his parents left Leningrad. Yarmolenko's old club have posted images of the destruction, with the Yuri Gagarin Stadium being reduced to rubble by the latest round of attacks amid the ongoing war.
A 12,000-seater ground, it was built under the Soviet regime in 1936. Pictures show the stands torn apart and the pitch turned from a surface fit for the Ukrainian Premier League side into one full of craters. But in a defiant message, Desna wrote on Instagram : "We will rebuild all this, and we will only become stronger, and you, 'friendly neighbours' will live with it all your life! Together to victory! The Ukrainian people are a united front, this is our Earth!"
Having raged on for almost two months, the conflict in Ukraine has resulted nearly 1,800 civilian casualties, according to the United Nations, through the likes of missile strikes and explosives weapons. The terror has led Yarmolenko to label Russia's invasion as "pure genocide." In an interview on Ukrainian television, the 32-year-old stated: "This is pure genocide, they’re just destroying Ukrainian people.
"Shooting at civilians, at children, at women, how is this possible? This is just horror. I don't know how to find the words. I have seen Russian people holding a concert, how do these people treat it normally? I am not saying all people in Russia are bad. I know many people who know what is happening, I know how they react to it. But it is clear people are being killed."
Following Russia's first attacks on February 24, Yarmolenko was given time off by West Ham in order to be in close contact with family and process the atrocities in his home country. In his first match back with the team, the Irons No.7 scored the opening goal as they beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League.
Four days later, his fantastic comeback continued; netting an extra-time winner against Sevilla in the Europa League last-16, sending West Ham through to the quarter-finals. There was an outpouring of emotion in both of Yarmolenko's celebrations, with the former Borussia Dortmund and Dynamo Kyiv forward telling Sky Sports after his goal against Villa: "To be honest I don't know what to say.
"I just want to say thank you to my teammates, who support me all the time, every day. To West Ham fans, they also support me and Ukrainian people, and also to all British people, because we feel you support us. Thank you, really. I felt the support from the fans and I tried to give everything on the pitch because I know how important the game was for us today.
"I'm not ready for 100% because in the last two weeks I have trained maybe three or four times. Since 26 February, I had to rest for four days because it was impossible to train – I was just thinking about my family and my people. I just tried to give everything on the pitch."
