Ex-Dynamo star Aliiev reveals his service in Armed Forces and why he still speaks Russian
Oleksandr Aliiev believes that war cannot be won with language (screenshot)
In a new interview, former football star Oleksandr Aliiev revealed details of his military service and explained why he continues to speak Russian. Oleksandr believes that war is not won with language, reports the project "Slava+".
What he thinks about the language issue
The former midfielder of Dynamo and the Ukrainian national team honestly admitted why he continues to use the Russian language.
He criticized "sofa pseudo-patriots" who, according to him, fled the country and, upon returning, dictate what language should be spoken.
"We've been at war since 2014. I myself once said in an interview that I didn't understand it when there was war in Donetsk and Luhansk — in those areas. Now the war has started, and everyone spoke Russian, or Ukrainian—whatever was comfortable," he noted.
"Now these pseudo-patriots sit on their couches, telling people what language they should speak. And they, like dogs, ran away, then came back here and supposedly show off that they speak Ukrainian," the ex-footballer added.
Oleksandr Aliiev on the language issue (screenshot)
He noted that at the front, guys speak as they wish, and that war cannot be won with the Ukrainian language alone.
"Our task is to win and eliminate this filth from our country. And what language someone speaks — I don't care at all. I'll speak as I have. Yes, I don't care who tells me what, in what language. If I want to, just for the people, to make them happy, I'll speak Ukrainian — by all means," he said.
Aliiev is not against switching to Ukrainian. However, he admitted that he sometimes feels uneasy due to his imperfect knowledge of the language.
"Well, sometimes I feel ashamed about something. I might say some incorrect words," he noted.
Where Oleksandr Aliiev serves
From the beginning of the Russian invasion, he joined the resistance. A criminal case was opened against him in Russia, and he was put on a wanted list.
"I joined the 129th battalion here in Obolon from the first days. I'm still in the 112th brigade, but I've been temporarily assigned to another unit. I'm constantly there. Of course, now I have a bit more free time — unlike in the first days of the war," he shared.
In April, Aliiev was involved in an incident. The former footballer was detained by police for violating traffic rules. During the interaction, he and his female passenger behaved aggressively and used foul language.
Earlier, we reported that a Ukrainian singer received Russian citizenship.
