Scotland and Ukraine were scheduled to meet in March, but the match was postponed until June following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Wales, who defeated Austria 2-1 in their playoff semi-final, are due to play the winner of the tie in the same international window for a place in the World Cup.

The victor will join England, Iran and the United States in Group B of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, with little indication that peace will be established between Russia and Ukraine before June, Stepanenko wants the match to be delayed further to ensure his side have had sufficient time to prepare.

The World Cup itself is set to be held between November 21 and December 18.

"We don’t want to be known as victims here," Stepanenko, who has recorded 69 caps for his national team, told The Sunday Times.

"We are strong and capable guys, everyone is fine, and we can play 100 per cent.

"But the question I would ask is how can we play such an important game when you haven’t played a match for such a long time?"

The Ukrainian Premier League has been suspended in response to the Russian attack, meaning several players have not played for months.

Stepanenko last played in December.

"The level and strength may not be enough with one match, but we will be asked to play two incredibly tough matches in maybe four days to get to the World Cup," Stepanenko added to The Sunday Times.

"If there is no option, then we must play.

"But I think it would be extremely difficult to achieve two positive results.

"We are hoping FIFA and UEFA recognise this and postpone the matches to give us more time to prepare."

The 32-year-old’s plea follows on from Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov suggesting his team may not play their qualifying match against Scotland.

Petrakov remarked that "as long as people in my country continue to die, I cannot think about playing the game in Scotland" and "football has faded into the background".

The game is due to be played in Wales.

Images of civilian bodies in Bucha have led to fresh claims that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Human Rights Watch has documented several laws-of-war violations against civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine by the Russian military, although Russia denies these claims.

The United Nations has confirmed more than 1,400 civilian deaths, but the true figure is believed to be far higher.