Shakhtar Donetsk striker Junior Moraes has drawn criticism from the fans because of an interview he gave to the Brazilian edition of Lance. In it, the 34-year-old football player expressed concern about a possible attack by the Russian army on Ukraine..

" I am always in touch with the Ukrainians who are in the know, so we are always on the alert and ready to act if something happens I was under a lot of stress in 2014, I saw everything from the very beginning and I don’t want this to happen again. Nobody deserves a war,"

After these words, Moraes began to be hated on social networks. The football player was reminded that he received a Ukrainian passport in order to be able to play for the Ukrainian national team, and now calls himself a "

"

After receiving a flurry of criticism, Moraes issued a statement on his Instagram.

\! I am proud that I am Ukrainian! Since 2012 I have come to Ukraine and today I live here, even when I had the opportunity to leave. Please don't share fake news about my life,"

Moraes joined Shakhtar as a free agent in July 2018. Junior's arrival caused controversy among the fans, since his previous club was the Pitmen's ardent competitor in the Ukrainian Championship - Dynamo Kyiv.

Since that moment, Junior has played 105 matches for the Donetsk club in all competitions and scored 61 goals..

He became the top scorer of the Ukrainian championship twice in a row, and last season he overcame the line of 100 goals in the tournament in total for his career.

In 2019, the Brazilian received a Ukrainian passport and was called up to the national team of our country. He made 11 appearances for the Blue-and-Yellows, scoring one goal..

In April 2021, Moraes was injured in training and was out for six months, and at the end of November he returned to classes in the general group. In December, Junior signed a new agreement with the Pitmen, which runs until June 30, 2022..