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Brazilian athletes were banned at the Ukraine-Poland border
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Players are trying to protect themselves from Russia’s attack on the country
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine began last Thursday
Players Gilherme Smith, Christian Vagundez and Juninho have been banned from crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border to protect themselves from Russian attack. The banned group still has Juninho’s wife, Vitoria, and the couple’s son, Benjamin.
Last Friday (25) they took a train in Zaporizhzhya, where they lived, heading to Lviv, the largest municipality in Western Ukraine. From there, they continued on foot for about 60 kilometers, but were stopped by the police 4 kilometers from the border. The group spent the night in the street and had to light a fire so they could keep warm.
Players pretended to be feisty and were prevented from passing. “It’s a very sensitive situation and we’re living right now. We were very close to the border, 4 kilometers away, and suddenly they stopped us. There’s a crowd here, very crowded, and people suddenly rebel against each other. They start fighting, which I don’t wish on anyone. ‘ said Gilherme.
At dawn, the group managed to get on a bus and return to Lviv, where they were installed in a hotel with the help of the Brazilian Embassy in Ukraine. There is no information yet on how they were able to leave the country.
A Brazilian woman gave support to the athletes. Camila Kubic is part of a team of Brazilians living in Poland who have come together to welcome players and other Brazilians who need help crossing borders.
In an interview with the G1 portal, Camila Kubic reports that a group of Brazilians were willing to meet the players on the road, but that they were blocked and would not be able to provide any support until the group crossed the border.
“The border guards said that only family members can travel in private cars. The border was closed for about two hours to change shifts, but she is back at work. Even people without a passport can enter. Let us pray that everything goes well, ” He said.
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