Russia captain Artem Dzyuba attacked “colleagues who sit on their a– in mansions in England” as he broke his silence following criticism from Premier League pair Vitaliy Mykolenk and Andriy Yarmolenko.
A personal feud with the Ukrainian players, as well as Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, appears to be escalating as the player issued a lengthy statement in response to claims he was staying silent.
In a statement released on Instagram, the 33-year-old Zenit St Petersburg striker stopped short of criticising Vladimir Putin’s invasion, but described conflict as a “frightful thing”.
However he said he would ignore criticism from Everton’s Mykolenko, who had directly callled Dzyuba a “silent b—-” and said national team colleagues were “s—heads” for not speaking out. West Ham United’s Yarmolenko went further by bringing up an alleged sex tape involving Dzyuba. “I know some of you like to show your balls on camera but now the time’s come to show your balls in real life,” he had said.
City defender Zinchenko, however, has mainly directed his ire at Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom he called a “creature” and wished a “painful death”.
Responding to criticism of Russia, Dzyuba wrote: “Until recently, I did not want to speak on the topic of events in Ukraine. I didn’t want to, not because I’m afraid, but because I’m not an expert in politics, I never got into it and didn’t intend to [unlike a large number of political scientists and virologists who have recently appeared on the internet].
“But like everyone else, I have my own opinion. Since I am being drawn to this topic from all sides, I will express it. I am against any war. War is a frightful thing. But I am also against human aggression and hatred, which is gaining some sort of devastating scale every day. I am not afraid that I am Russian. I’m proud to be Russian. And I don’t understand why athletes have to suffer now. I am against double standards.”
The Russia football team was thrown out of the World Cup by Fifa on Monday amid a wholesale ban from international competition.
Mykolenko, who joined Everton in January from Dynamo Kyiv, had written online on Tuesday: “Whilst you remain silent b—- along with your s—head football team-mates, peaceful civilians are being killed in Ukraine. You will be locked in your dungeon for the rest of your life and most importantly the lives of your kids. And I’m glad.”
Elsewhere on his Instagram page, Mykolenko and Zinchenko had published a video plea to urge fans, players and coaches to join them in stopping “the destruction and bloodshed’ in their homeland.
Dzyuba has now said in response: “And to some colleagues who sit on their a– in mansions in England and say nasty things: It cannot offend us, we understand everything! Peace and goodness to everybody!”
He said earlier: “Why is it that one can do everything, and they hang all dogs on us. Why has everyone shouted about sports staying outside of politics but, at the first opportunity, when it comes to Russia, this principle is completely forgotten?
“I repeat, war is scary. In stressful situations, people show their true essence, sometimes negative. How much anger, dirt and bile has now been poured on all Russian people, regardless of their position and profession. Those thousands of people why write insults and threats, get in line!”