Igor Denisov has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

Igor Denisov, the former captain of Russia's football team, has condemned his country's invasion of Ukraine and has said that he fears for his safety after speaking out.

The 38-year-old has become the most senior former or current athlete who still lives in Russia to publicly condemn the conflict.

"These events are catastrophic," said Denisov, who captained Russia from 2012 to 2016, in a YouTube interview with sports journalist Nobel Arustamyan.

"It's horrific.

"I am not sure if I will be jailed or killed for this, but I am saying it as it is."

Denisov, who scored in Zenit St Petersburg's 2008 UEFA Cup final victory over Rangers, also claims that he has written to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, asking him to stop the war.

The Russian Government has recently passed legislation imposing jail time of up to 15 years for anyone spreading "fake news" or taking part in any public action that would discredit the military operation.

The Russian invasion has also attracted support from sporting figures, such as chess player Sergey Karjakin ©Getty Images
The Russian invasion has also attracted support from sporting figures, such as chess player Sergey Karjakin ©Getty Images

According to The Moscow Times, the bill is meant to penalise people who knowingly "distort the purpose, role and tasks of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other units during special military and other operations".

This includes people who spread unapproved information about Russian war losses.

The offensive has drawn criticism from other Russian sports stars such as tennis player Andrey Rublev, who wrote "no war please" on a camera lens at the end of a match in Dubai shortly after the invasion began in February.

However, Putin has also received support from the likes of chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, Olympic champion swimmer Evgeny Rylov and Beijing 2022 figure skater Victoria Sinitsina.

According to the United Nations, at least 4,452 civilians have been killed since the launch of what Moscow describes as a "special military operation", and more than 7.5 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine.