Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko has been trying to persuade his mother and sister to leave Kyiv as Russian troops close in on the capital.

The former striker, who has both captained and managed the national team, also delivered a powerful message in Russian as he encouraged people across Vladimir Putin’s country to take action to stop the war.

Shevchenko spoke to Sky Sports News as his mother and sister refuse to leave the Ukrainian capital despite the fact Russian forces have been targeting it with strikes.

A long convoy of Russian military vehicles stalled around 20 miles northwest of Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday as Moscow plans to take control of the city.

Today’s main developments in the Ukraine crisis:

• Russia acknowledges hundreds of military casualties
• UN says at least 800,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes
• Boris Johnson accuses Putin of ‘war crime’
• Opposition leader Navalny calls for daily protests
• Joe Biden closes US airspace to Russian aircraft
• Outrage as Russian athletes allowed to compete at Paralympics

Follow live updates as Ukraine foils ‘assassination bid’ against Zelenskyy

Shevchenko, who is currently based in London, was emotional as he said: “I try to talk (to my mother and sister) every hour, every 20 minutes, because there’s a lot of action going on now.

“Cities under attack, missile attacks, Kyiv is under attack, a lot of cities it is very similar.

“My mum and my sister – like most of the Ukrainian people, refuse to leave – are staying there to fight for our nation, to fight for our freedom, to fight for our soul.

“I tried many times (to get them to leave), but the answer is no, (they say) ‘we want to stay here’.”

“This is the Ukrainian spirit.”

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Asked if he would rather be in Ukraine, he said: “I talk to my parents, I tell my mum ‘I want to go back’.

“But my field is here now, to talk about what’s going on, about the real tragedy Ukrainian people are facing.

“Thousands of children are having to go underground to find protection, […] constantly under missile attack.

“This is a real tragedy.”

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Shevchenko’s message to Russians

The former Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan and Chelsea striker also delivered a powerful message to the Russian people as he urged them to help end the war.

Asked what his message meant in English, he said: “Russians need to go into their squares and (take action) to stop the war.”

Shevchenko also said he wanted to thank the Ukrainian army and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for doing “everything possible to defend my country from Russian aggression”.

He added other countries need to do more to stop the war, and continued: “Because Ukraine is the centre of Europe, who is going to be next? I think the world has to think about this.”

Shevchenko’s plea came as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich announced his intention to sell Chelsea.

The billionaire’s takeover in 2003 is what helped the Premier League club bankroll signings like that of Shevchenko’s back in 2006.

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