Trapped Brazil stars in Ukraine make plea

Brazilian soccer players from Ukraine's two biggest clubs have issued an appeal to the Brazilian government, saying they are trapped by the Russian military attack on Ukraine.

A group of Brazilian players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv, along with Dynamo's Uruguayan player Carlos de Pena, posted a video together with their families on Thursday from a hotel where they called for support from the Brazilian authorities.

They said the borders were closed and fuel supplies had run out.

"We are really desperate. We are going through chaos," Shakhtar defender Marlon Santos wrote on Instagram.

"We have the support from our club. But the desperation is agonising. We wait for the support from our country. We speak in the name of all the Brazilians in Ukraine."

Shakhtar striker Junior Moraes said: "All friends and family, the situation is serious and we are stuck in Kiev waiting for a solution to get out.

"We are inside a hotel. Pray for us. We are gathered waiting for a plan to leave Ukraine."

Similar messages were posted by Brazilian players living elsewhere in Ukraine.

They included forward Marlyson and two teammates from Metalist 1925 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, and three players from Zorya Luhansk, a club based in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

The Ukrainian league was suspended indefinitely on Thursday after martial law was declared in Ukraine.

Ukrainian clubs have long recruited Brazilian players to boost their performance on the field and to make a profit in the transfer market.

Up-and-coming Brazilian players often see the Ukrainian league as a shop window to show off their skills to clubs in Europe's biggest leagues, especially if they play for Champions League regulars