RTL reporter Leona Šiljeg appeared live on RTL Danas with Darijo Srna on Thursday, the former Croatia national team captain and current Shakhtar Donetsk sports director, where he also wore the captain’s armband as a player for years.
Shakhtar has not played in Donetsk after the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014, and since 2020 they have been in Kyiv.
“It was certainly not pleasant; I was awakened by the sound of a siren around 4:30 in the morning. The situation is not very good, but we gathered with many Croats, we stick together, we are in touch with the embassy, and we are waiting for further instructions,” Srna said for RTL Danas.
“We are currently in a hotel, the entire professional staff. Knowing myself, I have always been first in line. There is no chance of me leaving this ship first. This is our second country; we will do our best to be peaceful and not spread panic. I want to thank all the people who send messages and call.”
Srna has always emphasized that Ukraine is his second home and says that it is difficult for him to see the current situation in Ukraine, which has been unthinkable for him until today.
“I couldn’t imagine that we would find ourselves in this situation. This is the third war in my life. We have to be strong; we have no other choice. Now it’s all about Ukraine; the situation is not good,” said Srna, commenting on experiencing the Homeland War and the Crimean War, which moved Shakhtar from Donetsk.
The former national team defender revealed that he is in constant contact with another former Vatreni member, Ognjen Vukojević, the assistant coach of Dinamo Kyiv.
“We hear from each other every 20 minutes, and today we were even thinking of going on our own, but that is a big risk. I repeat, we have no choice but to be calm and not spread panic. We were supposed to start the championship on Saturday; everything was disrupted by what happened last night,” the former Croatia captain concluded.
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