Roksana Malinovskyi highlighted the toll that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is taking on her husband, Atalanta striker Ruslan Malinovskyi.
The 28-year-old Ukrainian forward has been incredibly outspoken in recent weeks, regularly providing updates on the war on his social media page and trying to draw attention to the impact of the Russian attacks on his home. He famously revealed a shirt that said ’No war in Ukraine’ after scoring against Olympiacos recently.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Roksana Malinovskyi discussed the war in Ukraine and how it’s affecting her husband.
“It is not easy, he is always on the pitch and there you have to think about football, even if something so serious happens.
“We live far away from our families, we feel really bad. It’s not easy, but Ruslan tries to play for our fans. He is a very strong man.”
She then touched on how it’s not easy for Malinovskyi’s teammate and friend Aleksey Miranchuk, who is a Russian international.
“Nobody can say that this situation is normal, it is a disaster for everyone, not only for Ukraine, but also for Russia and Europe. In our country there are those who have lost everything.
“I always wonder what our life will be like when everything ends, there are whole cities destroyed. It’s not easy for Aleksey either, we are all worried.”
Malinovskyi and Miranchuk have a close friendship and the pair have maintained this in recent weeks, despite the Russian invasion. The latter refused to celebrate after scoring against Sampdoria recently, making a touching scene as he quietly stood in place holding up his hands in apology. His teammates ran to hug him and celebrate with him, showing the unity in Bergamo.
#Atalanta, la moglie di #Malinovskyi parla del momento del marito 🗣️https://t.co/LNlIzLYtcE
— CalcioNews24.com (@CalcioNews24) March 5, 2022