Ukraine plans to resume competitive football in August
Despite being at war with Russia, Ukraine plans to resume competitive football matches in the summer.
Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian football federation, revealed details to the Associated Press about his talks with President Zelenskyy and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about finding a safe way to resume matches. on the home field.
“I spoke with our president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about the importance of football for distraction,” Pavelko said in an interview.
“We talked about how football has a huge power to help people think about the future because right now people, of course, don’t have a good mindset. They are in the worst mood.”
“So we decided with the president that we will resume the Ukrainian championship in August,” Pavelko said through an interpreter.
Zelenskyy accuses Russia of shelling an Orthodox Christian monastery
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the main church at one of Ukraine’s holiest Orthodox Christian sites had been burned down following Russian shelling.
News of part of the monastery being destroyed came as Russian forces escalated their attacks in the Donetsk region.
“They are ready to burn everything: the Orthodox church as well as anything else in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in his evening speech.
He claims 113 Orthodox churches have been destroyed or damaged by Russia since the start of the invasion in February.
Russian and Ukrainian military officials have blamed each other for the damage at the Sviatohirsk monastery.
Pope says he will meet Ukrainian officials to discuss possible trip
Pope Francis said he would soon meet with Ukrainian officials to discuss the possibility of a visit to their country.
“It is not easy to make a decision that could do more harm than good to the rest of the world. I had to find the right time to do it,” he said.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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