2nd league
Dresden (dpa) – With moving descriptions, the Ukrainian footballer Kyrylo Melitschenko spoke about the war in his homeland and the wish that there should soon be a future for him there again.
The 22-year-old is currently keeping fit with the second division soccer team Dynamo Dresden, trains with the team and is largely taken care of by the club. The club premises of the Ukrainian first division club FK Mariupol, where the right-back was a regular player, and his apartment in a tenement house in the eastern Ukrainian city with all his personal belongings were completely destroyed, he said.
When the war broke out, Melitschenko and his team were in Turkey for a training camp. A return to Ukraine planned for February 24 was no longer possible. Melitschenko reported that people kept fit individually in Turkey for weeks. His girlfriend Anja, who is also 22 years old and who has a very good knowledge of German after a one-year internship in Potsdam, wrote to several associations in Germany and asked for help. “Within two hours we had feedback from Dynamo, two days later we were in Dresden,” reported Melitschenko full of gratitude and humility.
The footballer, who did not have to do military service because of his studies, wishes nothing more than peace soon. “Everything else is not important. It should finally be over so that we can go home again,” said Melitschenko, who emphasized the helpfulness of Dynamo, Dresden and the whole Federal Republic. “Thank you Germany,” said the footballer.
He could also imagine playing for Dynamo or another German club for the time being. A number of his team-mates from FK Mariupol have now joined clubs outside of Ukraine, but the majority are still in Turkey.