OLEG LUZHNY has admitted it was an ‘easy decision’ to return to his native Ukraine to assist on the front line.
The former Arsenal ace decided to head to Kyiv after Russia’s invasion in order to assist efforts to fight back against Vladimir Putin’s men.
Former Arsenal ace Oleg Luzhny spoke to Sky Sports Credit: Sky Sports News Luzhny, 53, has been separated from his kids as he fights for his country’s future – but he insists it wasn’t a difficult decision to go back and help.
He told Sky Sports: “The situation now in Ukraine is very, very tough, because of our Russian neighbour.
“Everyone is surprised about this situation. And the situation is very dangerous.
“The Russians have destroyed a lot of houses, road, business centres. Sometimes the missiles are coming two or three times during the days, and at night as well. It is very very dangerous.
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Arsenal hang Luzhny No22 shirt in dressing room & name Ukrainian in squad list “It was an easy decision to come back here. I love this country. I want to fight with my friends to defend my country, against the Russian army.
“Everyone has to fight. You have to fight for your country. It was an easy decision.
“We have groups of five or six people, and some policemen. And we have a special area we walk around for 12 hours, every two or three days.
“It’s hard of course. It’s difficult, but I am okay. There has been a lot of damage to our country. Here in Kyiv it’s okay, not too much. But in the country, in Mariupol, it is much harder.
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“My wife stays here with me and my children stay away. They have their own jobs. All my friends are staying to fight. No one is leaving.
“I don’t know when I will see my family again. When this war ends, after we win and we have one big party. I don’t know if we will have peace soon. The situation is not under control. We don’t know what Putin has in his brain.
“We don’t panic. We are strong inside. We have a good spirit inside. Our soldiers are fantastic. They are not scared of the Russians.
“The Russians are scared of us now. Because they are going back home now. We have good positive feelings.”
‘THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT’ Luzhny’s old club Arsenal showed their support for the Ukrainian at the recent 2-0 win over Leicester, having his shirt up in the dressing room and including his name on their squad list in the matchday programme.
On his old club’s gesture, he added: “I listen about this and I started to prepare for the game. It was a nice surprise for me.
“I want to say thank you to Arsenal, the club and the players, from me and my country, thank you for your support.
“They help us by supporting us. I would like to thank all the British people and the UK Government for all the help for us.”
Oleg Luzhny’s shirt was recently hung in Arsenal’s dressing room Credit: Getty
Luzhny’s name was also listed in the matchday programme Credit: Getty Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
