Russian footballer becomes first to speak out on Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine

Russia and Dynamo Moscow ace Fedor Smolov became the first Russian sportsperson to condemn his country’s invasion of Ukraine on social media.

The 32-year-old striker has amassed 45 international caps for the Russian national team, scoring 16 goals and contributing 4 assists since his international debut in 2012.

He also played an instrumental role during his country’s home World Cup in 2018, appearing in five matches as his side reached the quarterfinals of the tournament.

However, the striker became one of the highest profiled Russian athletes to condemn the aggressive actions of Vladimir Putin and the Russian troops.

In a very brief but powerful post on Instagram, Smolov uploaded a black square with the caption ‘No War!’

Following his short caption, Smolov also included a broken heart emoji alongside the Ukrainian flag.

His Instagram post proceeds two very powerful posts from Manchester City defender and Ukrainian international star Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The City left-back, who was playing for Russian side Ufa before his move to the Citizens, posted a photo of Putin alongside the caption: 'I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature'.

His Instagram story was soon taken down, but not by him, as the 25-year-old claim Instagram took down and deleted his story.

Before his post about Putin, Zinchenko made another powerful statement on social media, highlighting his concern and worry about the situation unfolding in his homeland.

“The whole civilised world is worried about the situation in my country,” he posted on social media.

“I can't stay back and strive to put my point across. In the photo - my country. The country where I was born and raised.

“A country whose colours I defend in the international