The soldier’s face is obscured, mostly covered by a camouflage balaclava, as is the weapon he clutches close to his torso. Falling snow makes gentle pops as he speaks to the camera in an unspecified forest glen, clad in combat fatigues. It looks cold, remote. On first glance, it’s an ominous visual as far as most Instagram posts usually go. But this is a note of thanks.“Slava Ukraini,” he begins.That patriotic salute, once banned in the Soviet Union, has surged into the mainstream global consciousness thanks to Ukraine’s tenacious resistance to the Russian invasion of their land, which began last February.
The logistics of that struggle have become an inescapable daily reality for Ukrainians around the world like Sergii Kryvtsov, the veteran center back who joined Inter Miami over the winter and has started every game for the club so far this season.The anonymous soldier in the video, posted on Kryvtsov’s Insta feed last April, is expressing praise and gratitude to him, Taras Stepanenko, Mykola Shaparenko and many of their fellow Ukrainian footballers for raising funds to procure vehicles, body armor, weapons and other combat necessities.“When you watch some videos, photos, from Ukraine and you’re not there, it’s very difficult,” Kryvtsov told Pro Soccer Wire in a one-on-one conversation at IMCF’s Fort Lauderdale training facility. “Some football players from Ukraine created a foundation and bought some armor, bought some — I don’t know how to say in English — some weapons. I don’t want to say we are spending a lot of money, but we help.”The value of those contributions is both practical and inspirational.“You guys know better than anyone how to win,” says the soldier to his soccer-playing compatriots, “and how to fight. Now we’re following your example. We will do everything to bring victory to our little country.”Even thousands of miles and an ocean away under the warm sun and swaying palm trees of south Florida, the war is always front of mind for Kryvtsov. How could it be otherwise?“Every day. Every day,” said Kryvtsov, pulling out his phone to show his feed on the Telegram app, a key information source for this very modern, very online conflict. “I spend a lot of time on the news.”He, his wife Julia and their three young children had to flee Ukraine on short notice last year, traveling thousands of miles overland across multiple neighboring countries, living out of suitcases. Kryvtsov was separated from his family for months until they recently arrived in Miami after their visa paperwork cleared.
“It was difficult when we moved to Moldova, after to Romania, lived there six, seven months,” the 32-year-old explained, recalling the frantic exodus they made with a group of friends, eight adults and 10 kids in all — plus one baby who arrived along the way, by a very pregnant mother who had to gauge when and where it would be best to give birth.“I think it’s 500 kilometers — we drove 15 hours,” Kryvtsov added. “Yes, it was difficult because we had some roads, six lanes, and all six lanes in one direction. A lot of traffic. It was 15 hours, then we stopped, had some rest. We [went to the] west part of Ukraine, were there two, three days and moved into Moldova, and after Romania, because our friend was pregnant, and they decided to have the baby in Romania, because we have some friends from there.”Kryvtsov’s parents still live in his hometown of Zaporizhzhia, close to the front lines of the ground war as well as the Russian-occupied nuclear facility where the vicious conflict has repeatedly raised the specter of an atomic catastrophe.
“You know, I don’t watch football in Ukraine,” admitted Kryvtsov, despite the domestic league where he made his name having resumed last year. “Only news about war, only some video about war. Because my parents are living in Zaporizhzhia. It’s a small city. But my parents can’t move, because my father works in a factory and this factory helps our army, [manufacturing] armor and other things.”The family had already tasted the pain and stress of war well before many of their countrymen: As a standout for Shakhtar Donetsk since 2010, Kryvtsov, his family and his teammates were initially displaced by the violence in and around that eastern Ukrainian city by Russian-backed separatists in 2014. The 13-time domestic champions and 2009 UEFA Cup winners had to relocate to Lviv, then to Kharkiv and later on to Kyiv over the ensuing years, and remain required to play their UEFA continental matches abroad, currently in Warsaw.“I lived in Donetsk when this war started,” noted Kryvtsov. “Moved to Kyiv, lived there almost nine years … [Last February] I heard some sound of explosions. My kids also got it. I don’t understand how it’s possible in our days.”He cherishes his nation and its people. He’d spent his entire professional career there before joining Miami. He’s still not sure whether he’ll stay in the United States for the long term, or return home when the time is right. And there’s palpable ambivalence about his current situation, with friends and loved ones in the shadow of war, some actively fighting on the front lines.“It’s my country. I grew up there and I love this country. I’m very proud that I am Ukrainian, and I’m very proud of our brave people. We now help each other and I believe in our victory,” said Kryvtsov, who has 32 caps for the Ukraine national team.“I’m really happy to be here. I like this place, I like this team, I like my teammates, because we have a friendly team,” he added. “It’s awesome, but I don’t know what, where I will live. I don’t know. Maybe after two or three years here, I’ll want to stay here. I also love my country. Difficult questions.”
He’s thrilled to find himself at Inter Miami. He’d long taken an interest in the club, keeping an eye on its birth via the Instagram posts of part-owner David Beckham. He was dazzled when the Herons rolled out their bright pink kits last year. Then when his agent informed him of the club’s interest in him in December, right around the time he and Julia celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary — which in Ukraine is dubbed the “pink anniversary” — it felt like fate.“It’s a very good team, great team, a team who wants to be on top. It’s a great facility, great pitches. I’m really excited. Because I understand we can and must be on top and win trophies,” said Kryvtsov, who won a whopping 17 titles at Shakhtar. “When you win one trophy, you need a second, you need a third, you need a fourth. I won a lot of trophies in Ukraine, and I understand when you’re on the top, it’s very good for you, personally and for the team.”In that regard, he’s an ideal signing at this point in Miami’s growth.“He’s played at the very, very top level, when you’re scouting games he’s played in, he’s played against Celtic, Real Madrid, Champions League games,” head coach Phil Neville told the Miami Herald when Kryvtsov arrived. “You’re assessing him against the world’s top players and when you see his calmness, quality, composure and experience you see there’s a player there that can help this relatively young group.“When we had the conversations with Sergii, it’s like conversations we’ve never had before. He didn’t really want any of the fluff and BS. He just wanted to talk football, wanted to know his role, what the team was like and how to win. Since he’s come in, the boys have seen someone who’s deadly serious about football and has great experience.”
Kryvtsov hopes he can carry the banner in his own best way, by advocating for the struggle back home, and representing as one of the few Ukrainians ever to play in MLS.“I think I’m useful, more helpful for my country here, because I can help make some donations to my country and help some people,” he said. “I must show our Ukrainian spirit.”
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