Ukraine will win war but how many have to die?
IT IS only in recent weeks that Sergei Baltacha has stopped sleeping on his living-room sofa with 24-hour news rolling on the television. The 64-year-old may have been at home in Surrey in body, but his heart and mind were — and remain — in his native Ukraine, where his hometown of Mariupol has been destroyed by invading Russian forces and his older brother, Georgi, has patrolled the streets of Kyiv armed with a Kalashnikov.
Baltacha was the first USSR international to play in england when he joined Ipswich Town from Dynamo Kyiv in 1988 and later appeared for St Johnstone.
his eldest son, Sergei Jnr, played for Scotland Under 21s, and his daughter, elena, was British no1 tennis player before her death, aged 30, from liver cancer in 2014.
Baltacha now coaches in Charlton’s academy, but any talk of football — including tonight’s World Cup play-off between Scotland and Ukraine — must wait. The former defender may be softly spoken, but his words are firm and uncompromising.
‘If I was not here, I would be on the first line fighting the Russians,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘The first couple of days, I could not believe it could happen. We lived alongside each other. We played alongside each other. My USSR team was 70 per cent Ukrainian, but we were all brothers. Russian people used to be the same country.
‘So, how can atrocities like Bucha happen in 2022? They are killing children, raping women. When I watch what they did to Mariupol, I cry. Kharkiv, too. I went there when I was 14 to play in the academy. I have so many friends in those beautiful cities. People were happy there, but they destroyed them. For what? Why?
‘My country will win, I am sure of that. But how many more lives will be lost? how many more homes? how many more children?
‘My brother is 67. he could have left but said, “no, I’m not going. I will be fighting, as simple as that”.
‘In the first few days I was so worried, calling him all the time. Psychologically, I was exhausted. The Russian military was five minutes away from Kyiv. I was sleeping next to the TV. I would wake up and think, “Maybe it was a nightmare?”
‘now, it is more positive. There is still fighting but they did not reach Kyiv. Talking to my brother and friends, their spirit… oh, my God.
‘From President Zelensky, it has slowly built up, people are getting stronger. It is an example for everyone — if you are together, you can achieve anything. I am very proud of my people, my country.’
But there is anger, too.
‘I cannot understand why, for so long, Russian people have not reacted. Some of my friends call me from Russia and say, “I’m sorry I’m Russian, I am embarrassed”.
‘But some of them have not. If you don’t react, you support Vladimir Putin. After three months, you can see who is who. ‘Putin, he lives in a different world. The Kremlin, they are lying to their people. We cannot live with Putin in this world.’ Baltacha hopes to be at hampden Park tonight but his youngest son, Michael, has exams. he has also arranged tickets for Sergei Jnr and his two grandchildren, who live in Glasgow. It comes as a surprise — on reflection, maybe it should not — but Baltacha is not overly concerned by the result. For him, the fact the game is taking place is the real victory. ‘It shows the world Ukraine is still alive. There will be Ukrainian flags and a show of respect between the two countries. Sometimes, the football itself is not that important. ‘And it will be hard for Ukraine. They have not had a proper preparation. People in Ukraine, those fighting, they will be watching. ‘Yes, a win for them would be nice, but playing this game in front of the world is the most important thing.’
For Baltacha, there are also divided loyalties.
‘My daughter used to say, “Dad, I think I have some Scottish blood”. We used to laugh. It’s a special country, with special people. Scotland and england are my second countries. I cannot thank the people enough for their support.’
his voice breaks when talking of elena.
‘She had the illness from 18 and made the top 50 in the world. If she was not ill, she would have gone much higher. But she was a fighter. We talk about Ukrainian people fighting, she is an example of that, she fought every day. I am very proud of her.’
There is also laughter at the memory of the family arriving in London in the late 1980s, when the USSR remained behind the Iron Curtain and Cold War suspicions lingered.
‘We flew with the USSR iceskating team who were competing here,’ says Baltacha, who had played in the 2-0 defeat by holland in the euro 88 final.
‘There were so many cameras at heathrow. I thought they were there for the ice skaters — but they followed us everywhere!’
Then there was the Lada car he was made to drive, branded with his name and that of Ipswich Town.
‘The USSR was opening up and I was allowed to leave — but only after I had signed a contract with Lada! I could not leave until I had. But it was a good car, it never let me down! My kids used to hide in the back, they were so embarrassed.’
One point of pride, for Baltacha, is a meeting with Sir Bobby Robson shortly after signing. The then-england manager lived in Ipswich. ‘he asked the club if he could meet me and came to my house,’ says Baltacha.
‘he wanted my advice, “Why do USSR beat us all the time?” I said, “We know your weaknesses. Your central defenders — they are big and slow, they cannot pass the ball. We play quickly against you. And even when you get the ball, we usually have it back within five seconds”. he said, “Oh my God, that’s interesting”.
‘It was meant to be a couple of hours. Seven hours later we were still talking football. I told him they needed to play with a sweeper. And they did. They made the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup with five at the back. not many managers would ask that question, but Bobby was an outstanding man.’
It is fair to say Baltacha’s opinion of Putin could not be further from the one he holds of Robson.
That is why, tonight in Glasgow, Ukraine’s first match since the Russian invasion will be a show of defiance, dignity and unity, regardless of the result.