Former Russian international
footballer Igor Denisov has said he fears for his life after criticising his
country's invasion of Ukraine.
"I don't
know, maybe for these words they will put me in prison or kill me, but I tell
you the facts," the 38-year-old said in an interview broadcast on YouTube.
"For me, it
was not even a shock but a horror .. a disaster," he continued of his
initial reaction on hearing of the invasion.
One of the rare
Russian sporting figures to speak out against the war, Denisov insisted he
"loves (his) country" and does not intend to leave Russia.
Russian
authorities have introduced a law providing for up to 15 years in prison for
any publication of information about the army deemed false, including the
simple fact of using "war" or "invasion" to describe the
conflict in Ukraine, which Denisov appeared to be doing in his interview, the
words of which are then replaced by a crackle in the audio.
"I want
everything to be good and peaceful here," continued the former Zenit Saint
Petersburg midfielder who revealed he wrote to President Vladimir Putin asking
him to stop the military operation.
"I told
him: 'I am ready to kneel in front of you'", he said.
Denisov spent
most of his career at Zenit and Lokomotiv Moscow, where he played until 2019.
He was capped 54
times for Russia, including a spell as captain.
Already in
January 2021 he spoke out in favour of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Few Russian athletes have criticised the invasion of Ukraine, although on the first day of the operation, footballer Fedor Smolov posted a message on Instagram expressing his opposition.
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