The defender, who plays in the Premier League, considered by many to be the best professional football league in the world, said he would have no hesitation in going to war if called upon by his country. "I think it's a clear answer. I would go (to fight)," said the Ukrainian, who turned 27 in December last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week signed a measure lowering the country's army mobilisation age from 27 to 25, the European country's parliament reported on its website. Mobilisation has been a divisive issue in a nation exhausted by more than two years of war with Russia, which has caused huge military and civilian casualties.

The Ukrainian army wants to mobilise up to half a million people to fight Russian forces. Valued at €42 million by the Transfermarkt website, he added that former school friends were involved in the conflict. "It's hard to understand that not so long ago we were at the same school, playing on the playground or the football pitch, and now they have to defend our country," he stressed.

"To be honest, it's very hard to accept, but that's the way it is. We cannot give up," added the left-back, who also plays as a midfielder. In an interview with the BBC, the former Manchester City man said that he had donated around $1.25 million to help the people of his country since February 2022. "I know some people might think it's a lot easier... for me to be here (in London) than there (in Ukraine). I really hope that this war will end soon," he remarked.

The current Arsenal player, who began his career with FC Ufa, based in the city of Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation, said he had lost contact with friends and former teammates in Russia.

"Since the invasion, very few have sent me messages and I can't blame them because it's not their fault. I can't tell them, 'Guys, go out and protest and all that stuff,' because I know they could be arrested," he lamented.

He said Moscow's invasion had shown "all of us Ukrainians that we can't be friends. We will never forget what they did to our people. That's what I will teach my children. And my children will teach their children. This is unacceptable," he concluded, expressing hope that the war would soon end.