Alexei Zhitnik said what it is like to live in the middle of a war

Aleksei Zhitnik scored 52 points in 81 matches in his best NHL season. AOP

At the end of the road is a large civilian building hit by bombs. There is a huge bang. There are flames and smoke everywhere.

– They say they only hit army places, but I was driving and I saw those buildings. I heard everything. Two rockets flew over my head.

Former NHL star Alexei Zhitnik recently drove a car on the streets of Kiev when he got to witness a sad sight. The man told The Athletic what happened. There is also a video clip about the scary situation on the magazine’s website.

According to Zhitnik, the situation is absurd.

– No one expected this to happen in real life. Especially in the 21st century in the middle of Europe. And this is not an army one- or two-day operation now. This is a war, Zhitnik says.

“I’ll do anything”

More than two million people have already fled the war in Ukraine, but Zhitnik is, of course, defending his own country in Kiev from Russian attacks.

Already the law forces a 49-year-old puck legend to stay in the country, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine during the war. And even if he did, Zhitnik would not leave.

– I will do anything I can to help, Zhitnik assures.

Also Zhitnik’s wife Lyudmila has remained in Kiev. Likewise the identical twin brother of the ex-defender Dmitri and an older sister Anna are still in Ukraine.

– God has power over what will happen to you. If something happens, it will happen. Many people, especially civilians, have already died.

“Players are afraid”

Zhitnik knows a lot of Russians. He wonders how many in the yard are at war.

– I can’t understand how the Russians don’t know what’s going on. They ask me what exactly is going on. I say, ‘Guys, hey, open the web.’ They think that Vladimir Putin is doing everything right, Zhitnik hesitates.

Zhitnik understands very well why Russian NHL stars keep quiet.

– If a Russian player from the NHL says something anti-war, he will run into problems. They are afraid, Zhitnik says.

On paper, Russia seems to be a completely superior enemy alongside Ukraine, but as the first two weeks of the war have already shown, the country is not easily conquered.

– We’re going to win – that’s for sure. What price do we have to pay for it? It is difficult to predict. But no one will retreat, Zhitnik assures.