Former Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin has revealed he dramatically fled Moscow with his family after Russia invaded his home country of Ukraine.
The retired Ukrainian international has opened up about his ordeal after stepping down as assistant manager of Dynamo Moscow because he ‘can no longer work in the country that is bombing my homeland’.
Voronin, 42, has returned to Germany — where he spent most of playing career — amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and lifted the lid of his emotional situation and harrowing escape from Russia.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Voronin said: ‘We got out of Moscow before it was completely blocked.
‘We couldn’t land in Dusseldorf so we flew via Amsterdam. My father, my mother-in-law, my wife and children are here now.
‘I’ve been unwell for four days. Really bad. When I see all the pictures from my homeland, when I see the news. It’s all as unreal as a movie. But a horror film. I hardly have any words left.’
Андрей Воронин покидает «Динамо»
Футбольный клуб «Динамо» и помощник главного тренера Воронин достигли соглашения о расторжении контракта по соглашению сторон. pic.twitter.com/JLuWFga8SK
— ФК «Динамо» Москва (@fcdynamo) March 1, 2022
On Tuesday morning, Dynamo Moscow confirmed Voronin’s exit, with the club tweeting that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent.
The former Liverpool star, who was on the books at Anfield from 2007 to 2010, did not hold back in his criticism of Vladimir Putin.
Speaking about the Russian leader and his motivation for the war, Voronin stated ‘maybe he just wants to be in the history books? But he will never end up there… or at most as a criminal.’
When asked what Germany could do to help Ukraine, he added: ‘Stop that son of a b**** Putin, help the refugees. And send weapons so we can defend ourselves.
‘I’m so proud of our country. We have beautiful cities, great people. We will keep fighting. And we will win. But the price is so high. All the dead… we live in the year 2022 and not in WWII.
‘I have friends in Kharkov, in Kyiv, in my hometown of Odessa. I get messages every five minutes.
‘It’s hard to bear. I just want to help. With money. Whatever… and I don’t know if I should say it: But if I were in Ukraine right now, I’d probably have a gun in my hand too.’
