'Please don't forget about us,' says Ukrainian soccer legend Andriy Shevchenko about ongoing war effort

By Ben Church, CNN

Updated 0852 GMT (1652 HKT) August 12, 2022

Andriy Shevchenko poses next to the Ukainian flag after an exhibition football match on May 23, 2022.

(CNN)As he urges the world not to forget about those still facing imminent danger from Russian forces, Ukrainian soccer icon Andriy Shevchenko says sport has a major role to play in uniting people behind his country,

Fighting is still adaily occurrence in Ukraine with millions of people unable to return to normality having fled the country. Since the start of the invasion on February 24, Shevchenko has been using his platform to raise awareness and money for his beloved homeland. Like many, the former Ukraine captain and national team manager has been deeply affected by the war and says it took weeks for him to come to terms with what was happening back home. «Personally, it's very hard for me. I still feel frustrated about what happened,» he tells CNN Sport. Read More«I sometimes asked the same question and couldn't find the answer, but now we only have one direction. We need to win this war and start to rebuild the country.» Shevchenko and tennis starElina Svitolina have since been named ambassadors of UNITED24, an organization set up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with the aim of directing donations to the war effort. The initiative has so far collected over $166M and there are other projects in the works in order to raise even more. «The message is very clear. Since the war started, Ukraine needs a lot of help,» Shevchenko, who won the Ballon D'Or in 2004, says, adding that he's in communication with Zelensky. «I'm here, as part of the UNITED24 platform, to bring awareness and talk about the war to try to find the funds for humanitarian and