'Support peace in Ukraine'- Former Chelsea star and Ballon d'Or winner calls for int'l backing in war effort

As Ukraine battles Russia's invasion of their country, their national team's starAndriy Shevchenko recently urged countries not to forget about their predicament.

Shevchenko, who has featured in the lineups of some of the most dominant European teams like AC Milan and Chelsea, revealed that he had been entrusted with the responsibility to spread awareness about their situation and attract financial support from the international community for medical and humanitarian aid.

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"The message is very clear. Since the war started, Ukraine needs a lot of help.I'm here, as part of the UNITED24 platform, to bring awareness and talk about the war to try to find the funds for humanitarian and medical aid, because this is what, at this moment, Ukraine needs. We need some support...to keep going for our future, our independence, and our democratic way."

The 2004 Ballon d'Or winner recently visited Poland for a meet-and-greet with childrenwho had fled the country, evading war and are currently facing an uncertain future as refugees.

During his tour of the country, he waxed lyrical about the philanthropic efforts of fellow athletes, Iga Swiatek and Robert Lewandowski. The former recently organized and starred in a charity match to raise funds for Ukrainians in need of financial support.

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"This is very important because, at the moment, athletes are icons for the younger generation.For people to take a position against the war is very important, to send the message across the world to be against the war and to support peace in Ukraine."

Although Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been covered extensively by the international media, Shevchenko urged countries not to forget about them as the news cycle tends to move on. He offered fans insight into their situation, claiming that the country and its citizens repeatedly found themselves at the receiving end of bombs.