On the front of the yellow jersey you can see the white borders of Ukraine, including Donetsk and the Russian-annexed Crimea. On the back there is the inscription “Glory to Ukraine!”, As well as the inscription “Glory to the heroes!” On the inside of the collar. Both calls are according to the agency Reuters in Ukraine they are also used as an official military salute.
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“I really like the new look of our team’s jerseys. To all those who are upset now because they are bothered by our internationally recognized borders or our official state salute, I can say: We will not allow insulting our national symbols. Glory to Ukraine! Together to win! ”Wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter.
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I really like the new form of our team. To all those who began to hiss at it, because the internationally recognized borders or the official greeting of our state are cutting their eyes, I can say one thing: we will not allow insulting our national symbols. Glory to Ukraine! Together to victory!#WeTeam # МиУкраїна pic.twitter.com/RGmV6Bnd4I
– Dmytro Kuleba (myDmytroKuleba) June 7, 2021
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UEFA according to BBC jerseys approved. “The jerseys of the Ukrainian national team (and all other teams) for EURO have been approved by UEFA in accordance with the applicable regulations,” the governing body of European football said in a statement.
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On Sunday, the head of the Ukrainian Football Association Andriy Pavelko unveiled the jerseys in a video, which he published on his website at Facebook. “We believe that the silhouette of Ukraine will give the players strength, because they will fight for the whole of Ukraine. And the whole of Ukraine, from Sevastopol to Kiev, from Donetsk and Lugansk to Uzhhorod, will support them in every match, “wrote Pavelko.
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The slogan “Glory to Ukraine!”, Located on the back of the jersey, web Al Jazeera described it as a patriotic cry used by protesters in 2014, when, after strong protests, parliament effectively ousted pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych. Moscow condemned the uprising as illegal, and the situation caused a crisis in relations between the two countries. According to the BBC, the conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014.
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Russian reaction
The slogans on the jersey provoked criticism from Moscow. According to the Russian authorities, they recall the slogans of nationalist groups from the period of the Second World War. “The Ukrainian football team in its jersey annexed the territory of Russian Crimea to Ukraine,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova, adding that the slogan on the back of the jersey was “a copy of a famous greeting from Nazi Germany.”
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According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the choice of Ukrainian jerseys is the prerogative of the tournament organizers. Asked whether Ukrainian equipment could cause problems if Ukraine and Russia met in the elimination phase of the tournament, Peskov replied: “Sport is a sport and we must be able to rise above inciting hatred between Russians and Ukrainians.”
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According to the BBC, Russian deputies called the set of jerseys a “political provocation”. “It’s completely inappropriate,” lawmaker Dmitry Svishchov told Kremlin-backed RT television, formerly known as Russia Today, and called on UEFA to intervene. “So let our players run onto the field in T-shirts with the outlines of the Russian Empire, which include Poland, Ukraine and Finland,” said Svishchev.
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Anatoly Vorobyov, former secretary general of the Russian Football Association, said UEFA could intervene if Russia protested officially. In an interview with RT, he noted that the Ukrainians designed the kits “under the influence of bald eagles.”
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The jerseys depict the image of Ukraine, including the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which were occupied by pro-Russian separatists in the same year that Russia annexed Crimea. Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country have long accused each other of violating the ceasefire and increasingly frequent skirmishes. The West responded with sanctions.
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The great fighting in eastern Ukraine subsided after the conclusion of peace agreements in Minsk in February 2015, but so far no ceasefire has been fully sustained and a political solution to the conflict has practically not moved.
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The EURO football, which was postponed for a year due to the covidu-19 pandemic, will take place from 11 June to 11 July in 11 host cities, including St. Petersburg, Russia.
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