Kadeem Harris says he has fled Ukraine for safety in heartfelt statement

Former Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday player Kadeem Harris has provided an update on his wellbeing amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The London-born winger signed terms with top flight side Metalist Kharkiv last summer.

He gave an interview last week in which he admitted to having obvious nerves over the situation after Russia invaded Ukraine five days ago.

Now, Harris has posted an update to inform his followers of his safety.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "I'm still in shock from the events that have taken place in the last few days! A country that welcomed me with open arms.

"A country full of clean-hearted people are now under attack because they refuse to be bullied.

"I pray for Ukraine I pray for my teammates whose families are in the middle of this disaster and I pray it all comes to an end asap! Thank you for all the messages and phone calls of concern. I can confirm I am safe and not in the country. Pray for Ukraine."

Harris is the second English footballer to speak out about the crisis in Ukraine.

Viv Solomon-Otabor, formerly on Birmingham City and Wigan, only joined Ukrainian top flight side FC Rukh Lviv in January and has yet to make an appearance for his new side.

Speaking to Sky Sports News over the weekend, the 26-year-old described the manic scenes of people fleeing.

Solomon-Otabor, who has since managed to get back home, said: "There was just a lot of cars, a lot of people, a lot of lorries.

"They were obviously trying to get back. Some got told to turn around which was not nice to see.

There was a lot of cars. Everybody was just calm but you could see the fear in their faces.

"You could see that fear as they were trying to get out."

Last weekend saw football clubs and supporters across the UK show their solidarity with Ukraine.

The EFL Cup final at Wembley, between Chelsea and Liverpool, saw captains Cesar Azpilicueta and Jordan Henderson come out onto the pitch with yellow and blue wreaths before players and fans applauded in support of the nation.

The colours on billboards around the stadium were also of Ukraine's flag.

The day prior, there were similar touching scenes evident at Everton's game against Manchester City with Ukraine duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko shared a moving embrace before kick-off.

On Sunday night, the Football Association confirmed England will not compete in fixtures against Russia while also condemning the "atrocities" being committed in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.

An statement released by the FA on Sunday evening said: "Out of solidarity with the Ukraine and to wholeheartedly condemn the atrocities being committed by the Russian leadership, The FA can confirm that we won't play against Russia in any international fixtures for the foreseeable future. This includes any potential match at any level of senior age group or para football."

The FA's decision came after Poland announced they will not compete with Russia in a World Cup play-off, scheduled for March.