Sergei Baltacha reveals agony over Ukraine but St Johnstone hero hopes for unity at World Cup play off

For most of Serge Baltacha’s life, he’s counted the neighbours to the north of his Ukrainian homeland like brothers. Not any more.

They shared dressing rooms, toasted victories and won medals together competing under a Soviet banner.

But now when the former St Johnstone and Inverness Caley Thistle legend looks at the images of Russia and the devastation they have brought in his home town of Mariupol, he struggles to comprehend what they have become.

“It’s very emotional when I see the pictures of Mariupol,” said the 64-year-old, a runner-up at Euro 88 and a bronze medalist at the Moscow Olympics two years later.

“I was born there. It was my home for the first 13 years of my life before I moved to the sporting academy at Kharkiv.

“That is a place I know well too. But what the Russians have done to both cities is unbelievable. They’ve destroyed them.

“Of course it makes you angry. I can’t understand why they’re doing this.

“We used to be one country. The Russians used to be our brothers. They were my team-mates in the Soviet national team.

“Now their soldiers are killing my people.

“You can’t explain this.

Get all the latest Sports news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.

We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.

The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we've covered that in the last 24 hours.

To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.

And if you aren't already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Facebook groups and Record Sport Instagram.

“So yes, I’m angry. I’m angry like all Ukrainian people. But that makes us all the more