Andriy Shevchenko and Oleksandr Usyk visit darkened Kyiv
Two of Ukraine's biggest sporting stars, Andriy Shevchenko and Oleksandr Usyk, visited a darkened Kyiv on Monday.
The AC Milan legend and World Heavyweight boxing champion are ambassadors for the UNITED24 fundraising platform, which collects donations for vital equipment needed for military and civilian purposes.
They and fellow ambassador, astronaut Scott Kelly, joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his office for a discussion about efforts to help Ukrainians in their battle with Russia this winter. They also posed for photos in the city, which has been suffering blackouts due to Russian attacks on infrastructure.
Usyk has also donated $50,000 to pay for generators as several areas of Ukraine urgently require power, due to the Russian campaign to deprive civilians of necessary amenities this winter. UNITED24 are seeking more donations to help Ukrainians this winter.
The trio and the president were joined on a video call by the actor Liev Schreiber, whose grandfather hailed from Ukraine, tennis star Elina Svitolina and the historian Timothy Snyder - all of whom have led fundraising efforts as ambassadors for the government-led charity.
During the discussion, Shevchenko said the Ukrainian people are "unbreakable" and the country would win its war with Russia "again and again and again".
In a statement, Zelenskyy said: "The terrible war against our country continues, and with the onset of winter new challenges have appeared."
He said he and the UNITED24 ambassadors "discussed further steps to support Ukraine. In particular, fundraising for generators for hospitals. After all, due to constant enemy attacks on the energy structure, Ukrainian doctors are forced to operate by the light of flashlights."
