In an empty stadium in Ukraine’s capital, a group of women soccer players draped in blue-and-yellow flags are getting ready for the match of the day.
Ednews reports citing AP that as at every game these days, they observe a minute of silence for those who died because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The logo on their uniform reads: “Mariupol is Ukraine.”
They are members of Mariupol Women’s Soccer Team. The eastern port city was devastated and captured by Russian forces last year after more than two months of stiff resistance by outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces, turning Mariupol into a worldwide symbol of Ukrainian defiance.
The city is now under Russian occupation, illegally annexed in September by the Russian president.
Refusing to give up, five original players from Mariupol have formed a new team based in Kyiv, recruiting members from all over the country.
Their goal? Not only to keep their place in the league but also to remind everyone that despite the Russian occupation that will soon reach the one-year mark, Mariupol remains a Ukrainian city.