Ukraine football legend Andriy Shevchenko steps up relief efforts for his country's war victims

Former Ukraine forward Andriy Shevchenko said he will use his platform to tell the world the truth about Russia's invasion of his country and step up efforts to raise humanitarian aid for victims of the crisis.

Former Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has said that he will step up relief efforts while insisting that his job is to stop innocent children from being killed. Shevchenko said he was in shock for the first two days of the invasion, which Moscow described as a "special military operation."

"But I soon got to thinking about how best I could help my country. I decided the best way was to use my platform, speak up, tell people the truth about what's going on and raise humanitarian aid," Shevchenko told the Times newspaper.

Shevchenko told the Times that he plans to welcome two Ukrainian refugee families into his home in Surrey.

"I have the ability and capacity to have people in my home, so why would I not do that? These are people who have nothing, and the world has to help -- right now," the 45-year-old said.

"The response from all round the globe has been fantastic, but the situation is getting worse. More people are dying, so we all need to do more, and we need to do it now."

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