Artem Dzyuba (Artyom Dzyuba) is a Russian professional footballer, striker. Former captain of the Russian national football team and Merited Master of Sport of Russia. He was born on August 22, 1988, in Moscow. Best known for playing for Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Artem Dzyuba's Stance on the War in Ukraine
First Reaction to the Full-Scale Invasion
In the first days following the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, under public scrutiny and appeals from Ukrainian footballers, Dzyuba published a generalized anti-war post on his Instagram account. However, his primary emphasis centered on «discrimination against Russians» and «double standards»:
I am against any war. War is terrifying. But I am also against human aggression and hatred, which is acquiring some kind of monstrous proportions by the day. I am against discrimination based on nationality. I am not ashamed to be Russian. I am proud to be Russian. And I do not understand why athletes should suffer right now... Why are some allowed everything, while all the blame is heaped onto Russia?
In March 2022, Dzyuba turned down a call-up to the Russian national team. Head coach Valery Karpin commented on the reasons for his withdrawal in an interview with the Russian Football Union's press service:
We spoke with Artem by phone; he assured us that, as he said in our meeting, he really wants to play for the national team. But right now, due to the difficult situation in Ukraine, where he has many relatives living, he apologized and asked not to be called up for this training camp due to family circumstances...
Support for the War and Putin
A year later, in March 2023, the footballer's rhetoric became unequivocally pro-war. In a major interview with journalist Nobel Arustamyan, Artem Dzyuba openly expressed support for the war and personally for Vladimir Putin:
I believe in my country. I am a patriot of my country. I love my country. History will judge everything down the line, but right now I am entirely for my president, for Putin. Even if you kill me, I stand with my country and will stand with it to the very end. History will later decide who was right, but I believe and will believe to the end that we are standing for a righteous cause.
In the same interview, Dzyuba explained his intense dislike of Western countries («They dropped all their masks... I can't stand them at all») and echoed the «traditional values» narrative promoted by state propaganda:
I am insanely happy that in my country there is man and woman, father and mother. None of this incomprehensible stuff: ‘get abortions,’ ‘gender affiliations.’ None of these mythical creatures, non-binary personas. I am very deeply proud that we do not permit that.
Inclusion in the Myrotvorets Database
In March 2023, Artem Dzyuba was entered into the database of the Myrotvorets website for providing informational and propaganda support for the military aggression against Ukraine.
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